| Fadhil Yunus |
MORE than 1,700 runners converged at the Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien in the heart of the capital yesterday to take part in the National Day Run 2019 armed with the collective purpose of promoting the spirit of unity and harmony as well as solidarity.
A total of 2,178 people across four districts registered for the National Day Run 2019, with the majority coming from the Brunei-Muara District which totalled 1,724 entries, 136 from the Belait District, 184 people from the Tutong District and 134 people from the Temburong District.
The National Day Run 2019 was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports with the cooperation of the Brunei Darussalam Athletics Federation in conjunction with Brunei Darussalam’s 35th National Day celebration.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin led the running event in the Brunei-Muara District.
The event commenced with a warm-up session and followed with the flag off for the National Day Run 2019 in two separate stages for the men’s and women’s categories as well as the 4km run.
The men’s and women’s events were divided into three categories namely open, veteran and teenagers who are under the age of 16.
Meanwhile, the guest of honour for the event in the Temburong District was member of the Legislative Council Yang Berhormat Haji Emran bin Haji Sabtu.
Besides commemorating Brunei Darussalam’s 35th National Day celebration, the annual event was held to encourage the community in the country to practice a healthy lifestyle by engaging in sports and recreational activities continuously.
The run also aimed to foster unity, understanding and cooperation among the community for the development and sports in the country.
The running activity brought together various circles and levels of the community particularly the youth, elderly and the children.