A new chapter in Sabah sports scene
Published on: Thursday, June 01, 2023
By: GL Oh
(From left) Cecilia, Angela, Ahmad Wazir, Jeff and one of the officials at the handing over ceremony.
Kota Kinabalu: The inaugural Sabah Touch Festival 2023 (STF ‘23) organised by FIT Touch Association of Sabah (Fitas) scheduled on June 2-4 at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah field C with the participation of 16 teams is set to open a new chapter in the Sabah sports scene.
The idea of introducing touch football or simply known as touch, a rugby-based game to the Sabah public is mooted by Fitas president Dr Ahmad Wazir Aiman.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to him, the association was formed in December 2022 to promote the game and to formalise Sabah’s participation in national competitions as well as to unearth raw talents.
Ahmad Wazir, who is the sole Sabahan selected to represent Malaysia in the upcoming 2024 Touch World Cup in Nottingham, England, said the festival will begin with the FIT Level 1 referee course on the first day followed by the two-day tournament.
“The goal of the referee course is to generate a batch of locally trained and competent referees to support the growth of the sport.
“Without competent referees, tournaments could not take place smoothly and it will stunt the trajectory of the sport,” he said during the handing over of goods from main sponsor Lea Sports Centre (LSC) at One-Borneo Mall here on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
He added that the partnership with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) in holding the tournament is to complement their academic programme in sports event management as well as to support their campus tourism initiative.
He also expressed his gratitude to LSC in partnership with No Fear in supplying medals, trophies, banners, promo materials as well as outfits, and Synergist Phsyiotherapy, Tritonic, Atlas Edible Ice, Eureka, Trusted Sharks , Sabasco for their support and contribution.
ADVERTISEMENT
Meanwhile, Jeff Lu representing LSC managing director Raymond Sim at the ceremony said the company’s involvement in the event demonstrates their passion and undivided support for the growth of all sports in Malaysia, touch included.
“We have more than 70 outlets in the country and our contribution to the society heavily involves the younger generation, athletes and the government sector.
“Our main aim is to help the poor and we have been doing this for the past 20 years in Sarawak, and we are now doing the same for the Sabah people through our expansion of business here.”
Also present at the ceremony were LSC corporate marketing executive Cecilia Michelle Anak Matthew and retail manager Angela Noem.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
