KUCHING: The Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) created a history of sorts when it became the first sports association to win the Best Sports Association award for three times at the Youth and Sports Ministry’s Sarawak Sports Awards on Dec 22.
SLTA was named the Best Sports Association for 2012 and it had also won this award from the Sarawak State Sports Council in 2011 and 2003.
The award comes with a cash prize of RM5,000 Apart from that, SLTA president Dato Patrick Liew received the Youth and Sports Exemplary Award in August 2008. Its assistant secretary Wee Guan Seng received the BBS award this year, Secretary Bernard Chin won the same award last year, and treasurer Kho Siak Khoi was the award recipient in 2009.
“We feel honoured for the recognition and acknowledgement as the “Best Association” by the Youth and Sports Ministry,” said Liew. He said it was a clear demonstration that the award was due to SLTA’s committed, passionate, hardworking and dedicated committee.
“In fact as a leader in the association, I’m very proud and grateful of the our committee members who are from very high professions such as doctor, banker, educationist, former top civil servant and graduates from overseas and locally who have demonstrated unselfishly their volunteerism.”
“None of them are receiving any remuneration or other monetary benefits but they all love tennis and love to help our youths and junior players,” Liew spoke of the committee members’ volunteerism.
“They have also performed and discharged their duties very consistently for the past 15 to 18 years.”
Liew said SLTA organised several junior and junior international as well local national tournaments since 1999 consistently.
“We are not only creating a scenario that SLTA tennis centre and Kuching is the preferred tournament venue by ATF and ITF but also putting the city and Sarawak on the world map since then. We had created a great impact in sports tourism by bringing in about RM2.5 to 3.5 million in foreign revenue annually,” said Liew.
He added that SLTA had always believed in managing the organisation professionally (without sports politics), transparently, with accountability and creativity in organising events and activities.
Liew said SLTA has since 2011 gone beyond tennis as the core activity, adding that “We were involved in organising many youth activities such as futsal, basketball, volleyball, badminton, sepak takraw, skateboarding and running activities as well as musical concerts and cultural performances with the support from the state government.”
He said SLTA do have the perfect venue such the Kuching Integrated Recreational Centre (KIRC) which comprises the necessary facilities that had given opportunities to the youths to participate and get involved in organising various activities.
“I would like to dedicate this award to my hardworking, committeand passionate committee, you all deserved it,” cncluded Liew.- /www.theborneopost.com
