KUCHING (27 FEBRUARY): The inaugural edition of the Sarawak Premier International Silat Championship 2023 officially opened its curtains today in a grand manner as the opening ceremony was officiated by the Premier of Sarawak, Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg.
Speaking to a huge crowd, Yang Amat Berhormat Premier congratulated the Rumpun Silat Sarawak (RSS) for successfully organizing the maiden championship and raising the bars of the tournament to a higher level.
He also conveyed his heartfelt appreciation to the President of the National Silat Federation of Malaysia (PESAKA), Datuk Wira Megat Zulkarnain Tan Sri Omardin for the trust and cooperation given to Rumpun Silat Sarawak to organize this international scale championship in Sarawak.
“First and foremost, I would like to convey my congratulations to the distinguished President of Rumpun Silat Sarawak, Haji Muhammad Haneef Ali for his perseverance and dedication in uplifting and empowering the association across the state of Sarawak.
Under his leadership, silat has expanded to many households across the state and I am confident that silat will continue to expand throughout Sarawak while producing more young talents in this artform in the years to come,” he said.
Yang Amat Berhormat Premier also emphasized and iterated on Sarawak being the lifeline in the archipelago for the artform to further prevail across the world.
“Sarawak being strategically located within the four main silat origin nations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore are set to be the catalyst in growing silat on a global level.
In light of this, Sarawak feels honoured to be a part of this commencement as this championship brings together Malaysian local and international contingents with more than 500 participants who’s ready to partake in this championship.
This championship commencement is in line with the state’s government’s stance to improve the quality of sports as a whole in Sarawak hence the future commencements of the Sarawak Premier International Silat Championship is set to be held biennially to accommodate the SUKMA and SEA Games calendar” he added.
Prior to that, Sarawak’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneurship Development, YB Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah believes that this prestigious championship has elevated and attracted a multi-faceted and multi-destination attraction for tourists in search of greater depth, breadth, and values of the artform.
“The Tourism Ministry of Sarawak would like to congratulate and thank the Organizing Committee, and everyone involved for being willing to take on this big challenge and succeed in making this first edition of SPISC2023 a reality.
Let’s us all foster a sense of fraternity and forge friendship in an atmosphere full of goodwill among the contingents involved, including all martial arts lovers from around the world to gather at the historic city of Kuching, Sarawak.”
The official opening ceremony was also graced by the President of Rumpun Silat Sarawak, Haji Muhammad Haneef Ali, Deputy President of Rumpun Silat Sarawak, Dato Haji Mohd Yusnar Yusoh who is also the co-chairman of the championship, President of PESAKA Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin, Sarawak’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurship Development, YB Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and several ambassadors from the participating contingents.
The inaugural Sarawak Premier International Silat Championship 2023 kicked off today and it’s set to take place till the 5th of March will feature approximately 500 participants from 11 countries and 10 local contingents.
Elite combative nations such as Brunei, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Singapore, Netherlands, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and the United States of America are among the nations that have confirmed their participation in the maiden competition.
The Sarawak Premier International Silat Championship 2023 (SPISC) will also tie up with the Sarawak Arts Council to feature various interesting programs to light up the event such as food and cultural festivals. A total prize money of USD 20,000 will be conferred to the overall team champion of the tournament.
