02/08/2025

SATURDAY | AUG 2, 2025

COMMUNITY 7

Cycling 600km to support children’s hospice project o Six-day event raises funds and awareness for paediatric palliative care

Ű BY JOSHUA CHANG newsdesk@thesundaily.com

KOTA KINABALU: The Sepeda Amal Borneo (SAB) 2025 charity cycling event took place this week to raise funds and awareness for paediatric palliative care in the state. The adventurous schedule covered 600km of roads and trails with an elevation gain of over 6,000m in a terrain dubbed as the “Sabah Everest”. The initiative aimed to raise funds and awareness for the establishment of the Malaysian Children’s Hospice (MCH) Kota Kinabalu to provide essential care for children with life-limiting conditions. It would be Sabah’s first dedicated paediatric palliative care centre. Flagged off by Teo Chee Kim, special officer to Sandakan MP Vivian Wong Shir Yee, the event saw 17 cyclists embark on a six-day journey from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu, passing through challenging terrains in Sungai Sapi, Paitan, Kota Marudu, Ranau and Tambunan. The event was organised by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and the Malaysian Association of Paediatric Palliative Care (Mappac). Event director and SAB founder Dr Timothy Cheng said: “This is more than endurance, it’s a journey of compassion. “Each kilometre cycled brings hope to children with life-limiting illnesses and their families,“ said Cheng, who is chairman of MMA’s Section Concerning House Officers, Medical Officers and Specialists (Schomos), Mappac vice-president Dr Ng Su Fang highlighted the urgent need for paediatric

palliative care in Sabah to enable many children to spend their final days in hospitals due to a lack of dedicated facilities. “MCH Kota Kinabalu will be a sanctuary, offering medical, emotional and psychosocial support,“ she added. Currently, Malaysia has only 13 hospitals with paediatric palliative care services and three children’s hospices in Kuala Lumpur, Klang and Sibu, leaving East Malaysia underserved. Once completed, MCH Kota Kinabalu will be the fifth children’s hospice centre in Malaysia. Its presence in Sabah will bring specialist palliative care much closer to home for families in the state. SAB has raised over RM750,000 for health-related causes since 2022. These include 1,100km Sandakan-Sibu ride for Makna in 2022, the 700km Kuching-Bintulu ride for the ROSE Foundation in 2023 and the 900km Miri-Kuching ride for Programme ROSE in 2024.

The 17 cyclists start off on the gruelling but inspiring challenge.

First national padel team to compete at Asia Pacific tourney

Ű BY SIVAA TANGAI RAJU newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Chacón had earlier advised participants to prioritise sportsmanship and professionalism while displaying their talents to the selection committee, reminding that the selected candidates would represent Malaysia. “To all participants aspiring to be part of the Malaysian national padel squad, our strongest advice is to approach this opportunity with maximum professionalism, humility and hunger to improve. “Being selected is not only about technical skill, it’s about your mindset, your discipline, and your ability to contribute to a team environment under pressure. “Remember that wearing the national colours is a privilege. It comes with responsibility, sacrifice, and commitment. If your goal is to make the national team, think long-term,” he said. Meanwhile, Ace Sports World director Lim Kah Hee expressed gratitude to MPA for organising the national team selection at the sports complex. He said it was a privilege to be a part of such an initiative that will benefit the country in the future. He stressed that the padel courts in the complex are aligned with the international standards and players there have a conducive space to showcase their talent. “It was an honour for us at Ace Sports World to be selected to host the MPA’s national team selection and I’m certain our courts’ quality would live up to expectations. I’m taking the opportunity to thank MPA and I wish all the very best to the participants,” he said.

evaluated based on a range of aspects, including competitive performance, technical capabilities, tactical skills, attitude, potential and adaptability. “The selection is based on both objective and subjective criteria. Key factors include players’ national ranking, recent performance in official tournaments, physical and mental readiness, tactical understanding and commitment to the training process. “Team cohesion and performance under pressure will also be essential,” he said. A total of 42 candidates registered during the selection process. Only 14 were chosen to compete in the APPT following extensive and rigorous training. Of the 14, eight were men and six were women.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Padel Association (MPA) recently held its selection of players for the sport’s inaugural national team which shall compete at the Asia Pacific Padel Tour (APPT) this year. “Malaysia aims to solidify its position as one of the emerging forces in Asian padel as the goal is to qualify for key regional championships and to develop a competitive identity on the global stage,” said MPA secretary general Jaafar Saadiq. The selection process was led by Jorge Chacón, national head coach and his technical team members who have combined technical and international experience to ensure a high performance squad. Chacón said players were

Boy with oxygen tank in acclaimed team MBI councillor and chief whip Datuk Mazlan Abd Rahman (third, right) with Sanjjivan and the SJKT Ladang Changkat Kinding team. – P. CHANDRA SAGARAN/THESUN

IPOH: A standard six pupil from SJKT Ladang Changkat Kinding here drew the attention of the audience when he appeared during a prize presentation ceremony held by the Ipoh City Council (MBI) with an oxygen cylinder in tow. G. Sanjjivan was part of the school’s team that won a consolation prize for their short video clip to raise awareness and understanding of the environmentally friendly “circular economy” among students. The video focused on the importance of resource restoration through reuse of waste. Sanjjivan was accompanied by his mother K. Nanthyny, the school’s headmistress S. Maharani, teacher T. Vijayaletchumy and two other pupils. The school was among 11 primary schools from Kinta Utara that had participated in the competition organised by MBI. The school received RM250 and a certificate as the consolation prize. According to Nanthyny, her son collected discarded drink packets from school. “He brought these to the house, cleaned them and gummed the packets together to construct a study table, chair and book rack.

“It took about three weeks for him to fix the furniture. Friends also helped him,” she said, adding that the completed items were later given to the school library. Nanthyny, who helps out at the school canteen, explained that Sanjjivan’s health problem started when he developed high fever and suffered breathing difficulties when he was two years old. “He only attended school in standard five as we waited for a breathing machine to be installed in the school. The machine was installed through the efforts of Datuk Suresh Kumar Ramachandran, special officer to the Tambun MP. Nanthyny said she brings Sanjjivan to school daily in her car from their house in Bandar Baru Putra. The MBI event also saw three memoranda of understanding signed between the city council and strategic partners Edsha Solutions Sdn Bhd, Biovisma Sdn Bhd and Thowlee Recycle Sdn Bhd for another two years to enhance the circular economy. The first MoU with the strategic partners was signed in 2023. – P. CHANDRA SAGARAN/THESUN

Some of the players in action during the selection process.