KUCHING, Aug 2 — The Sarawak e-sports team sees Selangor as their biggest threat for the Malaysia Games (Sukma), which will be held here this month.
Sarawak e-sports team manager Darren Kueh said his team are wary of Selangor but believes being on home turf would give them an edge.
“Selangor is our biggest competitor because all their players have a lot of exposure, especially in international tournaments.
“Despite this challenge, we are targeting three golds in the racing simulator events and also aiming for podium finishes in other games,” he told Bernama recently.
Regarding the team’s preparations, Darren said they started in March, and the athletes have been staying at a training centre.
“We are putting them here (training centre) so that they can focus on their training. We also hold strategy discussions and reviews of previous matches with their coach at the centre,” he said.
He said the Sarawak government has also been supportive, bringing out the best in the team.
“The state government even has nutritionists coming to provide supplements to our athletes. We also have psychologists engaging with our athletes to give motivational talks,” he said.
Sukma 2024 will be held across nine divisions — Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, Sri Aman, Betong, Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu and Miri — from August 17 to 24.
The biennial games feature 488 events in 37 sports, comprising 236 men’s, 217 women’s, and 35 mixed events, and are expected to gather 12,619 athletes and officials.
Sarawak has hosted Sukma twice before, in 1990 and in 2016, since the games were launched in 1986.
— Bernama
