Brunei For Borneo Games
By James Kon

Bandar Seri Begawan - More than 800 athletes from Brunei, Sarawak, Labuan and hosts Sabah will converge in Kota Kinabalu from Dec 18-21 to compete in the newly revived Borneo Games 2005.

The scheduled biennial games which was once Borneo's biggest and prestigious sporting carnival in the 1960s will give athletes the opportunities to compete among neighbours and at the same time earn the tag of being the best in the region.

The games like in the past will become a catalyst for sporting development to unearth Borneo champions and most importantly to enhance close rapport and relationship among Brunei, Sarawak, Labuan and Sabah.

Officials from the region had welcomed the idea of reviving the games which had once been the pride and honour for athletes to don their respective banners, more so whenever they emerged as the overall winners to claim the Borneo champion status.

Apart from that, it couldd also bring about better standard in athletes' individual endeavour and team spirit for the betterment of all sporting disciplines in an effort to bring back the past prestige of the games, where athletes in the 1960s looked up to this carnival-like event.

Athletes will be competing in 11' different sporting events and this year, the theme for the games is `The Spirit of Borneo'.

Sabah: will be sending the biggest contingent of 277 followed by Brunei (236) Sarawak (222) and Labuan (90).

The sporting events to be competed are badminton (men/women), football (U-23 men), hockey (men/women), athletics (men/women), rugby (men), sepak takraw (men), tennis (men/women), tenpin bowling (men/women), boxing (men) and gasing (top spinning) as one of the traditional sports.

The opening ceremony is on Dec 18' at Likas Sports Complex and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman is expected to declare open the Games while Sabah Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun will officially close the Games on Dec 21.

There will be cultural and traditional performances.

The performances are from a traditional musical troupe from Kundasang as well as Sabah's own cultural troupe to entertain the participants, while the Inanam Lion Dance troupe who recently won the world title in China will also perform. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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