BELAGA: Youth are encouraged to leverage sports activities as a platform to build discipline, leadership, and positive identity to avoid involvement in social ills that could jeopardise their future.
Deputy Minister for Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Liwan Lagang stated that sports participation not only offers young people opportunities to remain active, but also instills noble values such as teamwork, mental resilience, mutual respect, and emotional regulation.
According to him, youth must make wise choices by filling their leisure time with healthy and beneficial activities to forge a better path in life.
“Today's youth are at a critical phase in life that determines their direction and future. Everyone has a choice whether to spend their time on beneficial activities or otherwise.
“I believe the presence of young people and the community here this morning demonstrates that they have made the right choice by opting for a healthy lifestyle through sports,” he said.
He said this while officiating the SABERKAS Sports Carnival (KASUS) 2026 organised by the SABERKAS Belaga Branch at the Multipurpose Court, Belaga Town on Friday.
The three-day carnival, running until 8 November, features two main events: a men's futsal tournament involving 12 teams and a women's volleyball competition with five participating teams, gathering a total of 17 teams.
Datuk Liwan also expressed his appreciation to the SABERKAS Belaga Branch for organising the carnival and encouraged all participants to continue upholding sportsmanship and healthy competition.
He expressed hope that similar programmes would continue as a platform to uncover new sporting talent, strengthen ties, and foster unity among the community regardless of background.
The carnival was also enlivened by an early morning aerobics session that received an enthusiastic response from the local community, alongside the presence of Datin Rosnie Bilang.
Also present were Temenggong Ajang Sirek, Pemanca Unak Akah, Penghulu Abu Talip Mokhtar, Penghulu Peter Ho, Penghulu Michael George, Penghulu Jackson Kubang, Kiprawi Mohd Mokhtar, Onyo Leju, and Chairman of SABERKAS Belaga Branch Justine Ase. -UKASnews
