KUCHING – The Sabah contingent successfully defended its championship title at the XXII Sarawak 2025 Malaysian Deaf Games (SOPMA), which concluded on Monday.
Sabah secured the top position with a total of 38 medals, comprising 17 gold, 13 silver, and eight bronze.
The host team, Sarawak, delivered a powerful performance to finish as runners-up. The state’s athletes collected 20 medals, a haul that included nine gold, four silver, and seven bronze.
The closing ceremony was officiated by Sarawak’s Minister for Women, Children and Community Wellbeing, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, who also presented incentives to the medal winners.
In her address, the minister extended her congratulations to the Sarawak contingent for surpassing its pre-Games target of eight gold medals.
“I would like to congratulate the Sarawak contingent because what we achieved exceeded the target,” said Dato Sri Fatimah.
“Our target was to win eight gold medals, but we have achieved more than that so Sarawak, ‘be proud of yourself. You did very well’.”
She praised the athletes’ determination, stating, “To the children of Sarawak, congratulations on showing the spirit that Sarawakians can do it! Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban.”
This strong showing follows a pattern of sporting excellence for Sarawak, which recently celebrated a major victory at the 2025 Borneo Games.