Kota Kinabalu: A total of 30 contingents involving over 9,000 participants are set to enliven the 11th Sabah Games (Saga) in Tawau this year, which officially kicks off this Saturday.
Youth and Sports Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Mansur Asun said this edition of the Games will also see the inclusion of Sook and Paitan contingents, both now officially recognised as full districts.
“This time around, 23 sports will be contested across 217 events. We expect more than 7,000 athletes, and together with officials and team managers the total number of participants will exceed 9,000,” he said to the media during an interview session at the “Kami Bah Ini!” programme at the Ministry of Communications, Integrated Complex here.
Among new highlights this year, Taekwondo has been introduced as a new sport, reflecting on the growing interest of Sabah youth in modern combat sports.
“Other major highlights include track and field, team sports and Muay Thai, which has become one of Sabah’s sporting strengths,” he said.
Mansur said the core objective of Saga is to serve as a talent discovery platform, aimed at identifying and grooming new athletes to represent Sabah at next year’s Malaysia Games (Sukma).
“This even is crucial in producing potential backup athletes who can go on to represent Sabah at Sukma, and hopefully, Malaysia on the international stage,” he said.
He also reminded all athletes to compete with sportsmanship and discipline to uphold the positive image of Sabah sports.
Saga XI Tawau 2025 will take place over seven days, from October 11-18 across various venues in the Tawau district.
