KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Governor Tun Juhar Mahiruddin would be officiating at the finale of the 37th FCAS Sabah International Dragon Boat Race, tomorrow (3 July).
Juhar, who will be accompanied by the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor and various state ministers and Cabinet members would also be giving away prizes to the winning teams.
Tan Sri T.C Goh, President of The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) cum Chairman for the Race disclosed this in a statement issued today.
Goh who is also President of The Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) went on to note that the Race which was kick-started this morning (Saturday) with the preliminary rounds held at the Likas Bay here, attracted huge number of spectators, both locals and tourists alike, who jam-packed the venue and significantly boosted the atmosphere there.
Also present at the occasion were, FCAS deputy president cum organising chairman for the Race, Datuk Susan Wong, and various Huazong leaders as well as leaders of the various state Chinese assembly halls, among others.
This year, a total of 140 teams from within the country and overseas will be competing in 10 categories which included the newly-introduced “Huazong President Cup” invitational competition, with a total cash prizes of RM81,500 offered by the organizer through various sponsorships. Besides receiving encouraging responses from participants from Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah itself, the Race also received good response from Brunei and the Philippines.
Besides the various categories of races tomorrow, there will also be an interesting side programme of “Rice Dumplings Wrapping Contest and Sabah Cuisines Tasting Fair”, which will be officiated by the Chinese Consul-General in Kota Kinabalu, Huang Shifang. She will also be giving prizes to the winning participants.
It is also worth noting that this year’s Race received overwhelming support from the various state Chinese assembly halls, who besides sending their athletes to participate in the races, also sent more than 200 officials as observers to the Race. They included the Penang Chinese Assembly Hall, The Federation of Chinese Associations Sarawak, and Huazong Youth, among others. -pr/BNN
