SANDAKAN – Eagles Rugby Club president Velayuthan Tan is hoping that the matching grants proposed by the government recently in Budget 2023 would be implemented soon.
Velayuthan, who is also Sabah Rugby Union president, said that if the matching grant is implemented, it will be the first time the Borneo Sevens international rugby tournament will receive federal government assistance.
The proposal is currently being debated in Parliament.
“We have to raise most of the funds from sponsors – about RM700,000 is needed for this competition. The Sabah government sponsors one-third of it.
In order to attract many foreign teams to come here, we need to cover at least their lodging because the flight prices are expensive.
“However, with a high-level competition, many teams would want to participate in this tournament,” he told The Vibes when met after the closing ceremony of this year’s Borneo Sevens.
The Borneo Sevens is ranked as one of the country’s top rugby competitions and is sanctioned by Asia Rugby, Malaysia Rugby, and the Sabah Rugby Union.
This is the third consecutive edition that has received recognition from Asia Rugby, which Velayuthan said shows how far the tournament has progressed.
“This is a milestone for the Sabah rugby fraternity. This is one of the biggest events in Sandakan.
Meanwhile, this year’s Borneo Sevens saw Eagles Rugby Club win both the men’s and women’s categories.
A total of 16 teams – eight each in the men’s and women’s categories – from New Zealand, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, India, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore joined the competition.
Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who graced the tournament’s closing ceremony, applauded the efforts by Eagles Rugby Club and corporate entities such as IJM Land to help the sport’s development in Sandakan.
On another development, Yeoh said that her ministry is working closely with Sabah and Sarawak as part of its obligations in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
Yeoh said that she will make alternate visits to the two states every month to monitor their sports facilities.
“This means, in one year, I will visit Sabah and Sarawak six times respectively to see the progress of their sports facilities. I have to be there in order to understand (their needs) better,” she said. – The Vibes, March 21, 2023
