Royalty join charity run for nancy

Bandar Seri Begawan - Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah joined more than 1,700 runners and nearly 300 cyclists in a show of support in the Cycle and Run "Charity for Nancy" at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium last night.

Accompanying Her Royal Highness were His Royal Highness Prince 'Abdul Muntaqim as well as Pengiran Seti Aminah Pengiran Othman.

Also present was the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hazair bin Haji Abdullah.

The success of the charity event was evident as a sea of energetic runners clad in yellow shirts demonstrated their support for Brunei's sporting heroine, Dayang Tea Ai Seng, who claimed two bronze medals at the 1999 SEA Games hosted by Brunei.

Her Royal Highness joined the runners in an aerobics and warm-up session before taking part in the 5.5km Open Fun Run.

Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hazair signalled the start of the race for both the cycling event and the charity walk.

The 29.5km cycling event and the fun run were among the activities under the "Charity for Nancy" initiative with other sports lined up in the coming weeks, including netball and futsal.

The charity programme is organised by the Department of Youth and Sports with the cooperation of the Brunei Darussalam Amateur Athletics Association.

Dayang Tea Ai Seng, also popularly known as Nancy, had also served as a coach in the Youth and Sports Department for nearly 20 years.

In an interview with the Sunday Bulletin, she expressed her gratitude to all the participants and voiced her belief in making a full recovery, showing the same spirit and determination that captured the hearts of the people.

The ministry hoped that such events will not only raise awareness of maintaining a healthy lifestyle but also encourage people to be involved in activities which serve a good cause.