TUARAN: The State Government will consider a proposal to introduce a special initiative to help address challenges facing the healthcare sector in Sabah.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor said the proposal warranted consideration as there were still many healthcare-related challenges in the state that needed to be addressed.
He said the government strongly encouraged sporting activities, including the annual National Sports Day celebrations, to ensure that people continued to lead healthy and active lifestyles.
“However, there is still much to be done, and for this reason, the State Government will consider a proposal to introduce a special initiative to help address the challenges facing the healthcare sector in Sabah,” he said when officiating the Sabah State-Level National Sports Day 2026 celebration at Padang Istiadat here today.
Hajiji said National Sports Day was not merely an annual event or a programme that brought people together for a day of sporting activities, but a movement aimed at making sports, fitness and active living part of people’s daily lives.
He said sports played an important role in building a healthy, active and productive society, while also serving as a platform to unite people regardless of age, race, religion, background or social standing.
He said Sabah had set a target of 651,610 participants for this year’s National Sports Day celebrations, which would require the commitment and cooperation of all parties.
The success of the celebrations, he said, depended on the collective involvement of state and federal ministries and departments, educational institutions, local authorities, sports associations, youth organisations, communities and the people of Sabah.
Hajiji said extending the state-level celebrations to districts such as Tuaran this year was a positive approach as it allowed more people at the grassroots level to experience the excitement of National Sports Day.
He said celebrations were also being held in five other zones across the state, namely Tawau, Sandakan, Beaufort, Kudat and Keningau, to ensure that communities throughout Sabah could benefit from the programme.
He said the spirit of National Sports Day must be sustained throughout the year rather than confined to the annual celebration, particularly among young people who should make sports part of their daily lives.
“Sports do more than keep us physically healthy. They also teach us discipline, leadership, teamwork, resilience and the determination not to give up easily. These are the values we need to nurture a capable and competitive younger generation in Sabah,” he said.
Hajiji said the true success of efforts to cultivate a sporting culture should not be measured solely by the number of programmes organised or participants recorded, but by the extent to which people made physical activities and sports a regular part of their lives.
He also expressed hope that National Sports Day would serve as a catalyst for more inclusive and accessible sports and recreational programmes capable of attracting participation from people of all ages.
He said the platform should also be used to identify promising young athletes at the district level who could be groomed to compete at state, national and international levels.-pr/BNN
