| Achong Tanjong |
A TOTAL of 3,536 participants including officials and coaches from 12 contingents will turn up for the Brunei Darussalam National Games (SKBD) 2018 which will be held from September 1-8.
The fourth edition of the eight-day event will see athletes compete for 937 medals – 281 gold, 281 silver and 375 bronze, Acting Director of Youth and Sports Haji Zafri bin Haji Mohamed said at a press conference organised on the sidelines of the 4th SKBD poster presentation ceremony held at Citra Budaya Hall, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) yesterday.
The ceremony was chaired by Permanent Secretary at the MCYS Datin Paduka Dr Hajah Norlila binti Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Jalil. Also present at the event was Head of Youth and Sports Officer-cum-Secretariat of SKBD 2018 Mariam binti Ulat.
Haji Zafri said the opening ceremony of the games will be held at 2pm on September 1 at the Track and Field of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas, while the closing ceremony will be at 2pm on September 8 at the Tutong Sports Complex.
The SKBD 2018 is organised by the government, through the MCYS, in collaboration with Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council (BDNOC). The first SKBD was held in 2012, followed by the second and third editions in 2014 and 2017, respectively.
SKBD is a national-level competition which aims to develop the level and performance of sportsmen in the country. It is hoped that SKBD will be able to create competent athletes, build a healthy and friendly spirit of competition and enhance the status of sports in the country.
Among others, the purpose of SKBD is to establish close collaborative relationships in building human development as well as establishing a harmonious network through sports in the effort to form a united nation.
SKBD also serves as platform to select qualified athletes to represent the country at regional and international sports events.
The contingents taking part in the SKBD 2018 are: Brunei-Muara District, Belait District, Tutong District, Temburong District, Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council, Royal Brunei Police Force Sports Council, Brunei Darussalam Sports Schools Council, higher learning institutions (Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, Brunei Darussalam Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Politeknik Brunei, Religious Teachers University College of Seri Begawan, Kolej International Graduate Studies, Cosmopolitan College of Commerce and Industry, Micronet International College, Laksamana College of Business and Institute of Brunei Technical Education), combination of Brunei telecommunication companies (Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam, Telekom Brunei Berhad, DST Communications Sdn Bhd and Progresif Cellular Sdn Bhd), combination of Brunei Shell Joint Venture (BSJV) Companies, Royal Brunei Airlines and Brunei Association of Banks.
Mariam said a total of 31 events will be contested at the games based on rules and regulations approved by the BDNOC in accordance with international rules.
She said some of the games like football, futsal, badminton and volleyball were held earlier due to a large number of entries.
At the press conference, the organisers invited members of the public to watch and support the games.
The venues of the competition include those under the MCYS as well as others agencies such as Bolkiah Garrison, Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (YSHHB)School and i-Bowl Utama Bowling Centre Sdn Bhd.
The venues of the competition are: Badminton – Bolkiah Garrison Multipurpose Hall; cycling – mountain bike: Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Berakas Forest Reserve Recreational Park, Berakas/Muara-Tutong Highway/ Bukit Shahbandar; road race – Muara-Tutong Highway/Tungku Link; netball – multipurpose hall, Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex (KSNHB); basketball – Brunei Basketball Association Basketball Court in Batu Bersurat; soft ball – Jerudong Sports Complex; football – Track and Field, KSNHB, Tutong Sports Complex, Berakas Sports Complex, Temburong Sports Complex; volleyball – KSNHB multipurpose hall; lawn bowling – KSNHB Lawn Bowling Centre; chess – KSNHB Tennis Centre; dart – Indoor Stadium, KSNHB; futsal – Indoor Stadium, KSNHB; top-spinning (Top-Spinning Arena, KSNHB); golf – Mentiri Golf Course; Hockey – Hockey Stadium, KSNHB; karate-do multipurpose hall, Tutong Sports Complex; kayak – Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas, Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB); cue sports – VIP Billiards Hall, KSNHB; fencing – Mumong Sports Complex; boat race – Serasa Water Sports Complex; pencak silat – Youth Centre, BSB; table tennis – Menglait Sports Complex; rugby – Sungai Kebun Sports Complex; sepak takraw – Sungai Kebun Sports Complex; shorinji kempo -Menglait Sports Complex; squash – Squash Centre, KSNHB; taekwondo – YSHHB School multipurpose hall; tug-of-war – Track and Field, KSNHB; 10-pin bowling – i-Bowl Utama Bowling Centre; wushu – Menglait Sports Complex; swimming – National Swimming Pool, KSNHB; and athletics – Track and Field, KSNHB and Tutong Sports Complex.