Tawau ready for 7th Saga Games
Published on: Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Tawau: The host district is ready to welcome approximately 8,000 athletes, including technical personnel and volunteers in conjunction with the 7th Sabah Games (Saga) which will last for six days starting from June 1.The Games' mascot is an eagle nicknamed as 'Yung' in the local language which means love.President of the District Municipal Council (MPT), Datuk Ismail Mayakob who is also the Games' Executive Chairman said as many as 27 districts, including newcomer Telupid and invited contingent from Brunei Darussalam will compete for the title this time.ADVERTISEMENT "The total amount involved in the Games is 7,381 people taking parts in the 19 sports contested," he said in a press conference with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Datuk Suzannah Liaw after chairing the final organization meeting here on Tuesday.According to him, the opening of the 7th Saga will be officiated by Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Aman on June 1 at the Tawau Sports Complex Stadium on 7.30 pm, while the closing ceremony will be scheduled for Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan on June 6.Ismail expressed his gratitude to the state government for giving credence to Tawau to host the Games this time, also openly invite the residents in the district to attend and support their teams.Meanwhile, Suzannah revealed that the organization for the Games this year for the first time to introduce Anti-Doping, which will be operated by the National Sports Institute (ISN), in addition to the new participation of Telupid.ADVERTISEMENT "In terms of reducing the quantity of athletes competing because we already had pre-qualifications which not only reduces costs but will emphasize the quality rather than the quantity of selecting state representatives to the Malaysia Games (Sukma) later," she said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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She added that this time, 19 sports will be contested in three venue (Tawau, Semporna and Lahad Datu) where 14 of them will take place at Tawau Sports Complex and several other venues in the district.
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"Karate and volleyball will take place in Semporna while the women's soccer and pencak silat to held in Lahad Datu and the rest will be in Tawau," she said while adding that petanque demonstration will be on display but not competing.