Call to form governing body
Published on: Friday, October 31, 2014
KOTA
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KINABALU: Tarik Tali or tug-of-war has a huge following in Sabah and each time there is such a competition during an event, it never fails to draw huge crowd to it.But despite the attraction to the sport, there is no governing body to guide or to act as an umbrella to the numerous tug-of-war teams throughout Sabah.And this prompted the Minister of Youth and Sports, Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan, to issue a request for the formation of the umbrella entity.
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He said that by having a governing body to the sport, it would enable the sport to progress including obtaining annual funds from the ministry or the Government."So, it is important to have an official umbrella organisation and registered with the Sports Commission," he said when receiving a courtesy call from the Sabah Indoor Tug-of-War Team who recently won the One Borneo-Brunei Indoor Tug-of-War Invitational Championship.Congratulating the team for its success, he said it is more the reasons for Sabah to form its own tug-of-war governing body.He said it is very important for the umbrella body to be formed before the setting up of district and club level organisations. He said the sport has a huge following in Sabah with many strong and active tug-of-war teams.
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"This is an advantage that must you must capitalise on so that Sabah can become a powerhouse in the sport," he said.To this, Tawfiq hoped that the Sabah Indoor Tug-of-War team could initiate the formation of the umbrella body.As one of the top tug-of-war teams in Sabah, he said the team has a huge task in defending its title and to maintain its supremacy. As one of the top teams, he said, other teams would surely want to defeat them to claim the title."Because of that, don't be contented with your success but instead let it spur you to strengthen the team," he said.During the courtesy call, Tawfiq, on principles, has agreed to assist the team take part in the Borneo Open Outdoor Tug-of-War Championship in Limbang, Sarawak on Nov 29 and also the International Asia Federation Indoor Tug-of-War Invitational (TWIF) in Thailand early next year.Meanwhile, team manager of Sabah Indoor Tug-of-War team, Rainold Mokujin, said they are in the process of forming an association."This is to enable the sport of tug-of-war be enhanced including to introduce it in the schools," he said, adding that the team's success in Brunei was also due to strong support from the ministry.The championship in Brunei on Oct 23-25 saw Sabah Indoor Tug-of-War team winning all its matches in straight sets, 2-0, right from the preliminary until the finals.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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