KUCHING – The fourth edition of the Sarawak Games (SUKSAR) 2026 will be jointly hosted by Sri Aman and Betong from February 5 to 8, reaffirming its importance as a strategic platform for developing and nurturing new sporting talents in Sarawak.
Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said SUKSAR plays a crucial role in identifying top athletes who will go on to represent Sarawak at the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) 2026 in Selangor this August.
“With this edition of SUKSAR, we hope to assemble the strongest possible team for SUKMA in August, God willing, as Sarawak are the defending champions. This will be a very important SUKMA, especially since Selangor has always been a very strong state,” he said during a press conference after chairing the fourth SUKSAR Meeting at the Baitul Makmur Building.
Beyond talent identification, SUKSAR provides young athletes with early exposure to high-level competition, testing them physically, mentally and tactically. The championship aims to instil competitiveness and a winning mindset from the grassroots level.
Dato Sri Abdul Karim also noted that SUKSAR acts as a catalyst for sports associations at the zonal and district levels, while enhancing the capabilities of technical officials, thereby strengthening Sarawak’s overall sports ecosystem.
This year’s edition will feature 257 athletes from four zones, Northern, Central, Western, and Southern competing in 11 sports, namely weightlifting, cycling (mountain biking and road), netball, basketball, karate, table tennis, pétanque, sepak takraw, softball, taekwondo and boxing.
Events will be held across several locations:
- Betong Division: weightlifting, cycling, netball, taekwondo
- Sri Aman Division: basketball, pétanque, table tennis, softball, boxing
- Lubok Antu: sepak takraw, karate
A total of 105 gold, 105 silver and 135 bronze medals will be contested, making SUKSAR an important competitive benchmark for Sarawak’s young athletes ahead of SUKMA.
The hosting of SUKSAR IV is also expected to benefit local communities by stimulating economic activity, increasing exposure to state-level sports in rural areas, and supporting the development of facilities and expertise at the grassroots level.
The opening ceremony will be held on February 4 at 3.00 pm at the Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan Sports Hall in Betong, officiated by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas. The closing ceremony is scheduled for February 8 at 3.30 pm at the Indoor Stadium, Sri Aman Sports Complex, and will be officiated by the Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg.
Also, present will be Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu, Betong Division Resident Datu Richard Michael Abu Nawas, UKAS Director Awang Putrayusrie Awang Redzuan, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Sarawak Sports Corporation Khairul Nizam Morshidi, and other distinguished guests.
