KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Shooting Association (SSA) will be seeking for more funding and resources from the state government to boost shooting sports in Sabah, said its President, Tan Sri T.C Goh.
He said, more funding is required to upgrade its facilities and equipment to conduct more shooting competitions, in order to encourage more Sabahans, the youths especially, to take up shooting sports, and ultimately to bring back the glory days of Sabah shooting sports.
Goh who is also a member of the Sabah Economic Advisory Council (SEAC) said this when receiving Sabah shooter Thomas Kiu in a courtesy call here, on Wednesday, upon his triumphant return from competing in the “Selangor Shooting Championship 2022”, in which he won a gold medal in the Trap Shooting event. Kiu was accompanied by SSA Vice President Yong Yit Fui during the courtesy call.
While congratulating Kiu on his excellent achievement, Goh who is also President of The Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) and The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) also encouraged the former to keep up his good work, and to help train more Sabah shooters to compete in the national and international shooting arena, in future.
Noting that in the recent years, Sabah shooting sports has delivered some encouraging results, Goh opined that the state government and the Sabah Youth and Sports Ministry should allocate more funding and resources to further develop the sports.
He recognised that organising more shooting competitions is the most direct and effective way of elevating the standard of shooting sports, but this would require huge funding to set up the shooting arena and to equip it with the necessary facilities and equipment which do not come cheap.
Meanwhile, in his briefing, Kiu acknowledged that due to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, besides the lacked of shooting facilities in Sabah, it was tough for him to undergo training to attain his best condition; he even had to fly to Selangor several days earlier before the shooting competition, in order to undergo the necessary trainings there.
Goh also praised Kiu who is a top Sabah shooter, for delivering a number of medals to Sabah over the years. In the recent “Selangor Shooting Championship 2022” held in Selangor from 22 – 27 March, Kiu again demonstrated his prowess in the Trap Shooting event, by scoring 38 points to defeat his five contenders, and bagged a gold medal for Sabah.
Goh also described the said gold medal, which is the first gold medal won by Sabah since he became SSA President, as “a shot in the arm” for Sabah shooting sports.
“Such an encouraging result has indeed boosted our morale and allowed us to see the great potential of Sabah shooting sports,” said Goh who is an ardent sports promoter with vast experience in leading various sports organizations over the years.
Meanwhile, Yong expressed confidence that under Goh’s leadership, SSA will take measures to acquire necessary funding from the state government, and to conduct more programmes and activities to better attract Sabah youths to take up shooting sports.
