KUCHING: The newly elected President of the Amateur Swimming Association of Sarawak (ASAS), Tan Kun Gee, has unveiled an ambitious roadmap for 2025-2026, focusing on rural development, coach mobility, and broader participation in competitive swimming and water polo.
Tan thanked ASAS members for their trust and support and called on the newly elected committee to work closely together for the continued growth of Sarawak swimming and water polo.
“It’s my privilege to be elected as President for 2025 and 2026. Let’s work together closely for our Sarawak swimming and water polo sports,” he told Sarawak Tribune when contacted.
At the heart of his vision is a proposed five-year development plan to be submitted to the Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC), aimed at creating structured swimming programmes in rural areas.
The plan includes efforts to set up swimming clubs or associations in every division of Sarawak and to open ASAS affiliation to all interested swimming bodies.
To encourage broader participation, he announced that all swimming competitions would be open to Sarawak swimmers, with a particular push for more entries into key events like the Malaysia Invitational Age Group (MIAG), Malaysia Open, and international meets.
The manifesto includes a transparent registration system for officials, coaches, and swimmers, along with plans to secure long-term sponsorships to support national-level athletes and provide incentives for clubs and coaches.
Among the most significant reforms is a commitment to decentralise coaching resources.
He said foreign coaches engaged by ASAS should not be stationed in Kuching alone but should travel across Sarawak to train swimmers in every division.
“It’s not fair to fix the coach in Kuching. The coach needs to move around Sarawak to train all swimmers,” he said.
Tan proposed rotating the hosting of major competitions like the Wong Soon Kai (WSK) meet and assisting in the upgrade of pool facilities outside of Kuching.
Technical officials and coaches will also be rotated for key meets such as MIAG, Malaysia Open, Borneo Games, and SUKMA to ensure equal exposure and development opportunities statewide.
Looking ahead, he expressed a strong interest in organising overseas training programmes for Sarawak swimmers and hosting more national and international events for swimming, diving, and water polo.
To increase public visibility and engagement, ASAS will launch a Facebook page to promote aquatic sports and achievements.
He also floated the idea of rebranding the association from ASAS to Sarawak Aquatics to reflect a more inclusive, modern identity.
In addition, he proposed closer coordination with the state education sports body to support swimmer selection for the MSSM (Malaysia Schools Sports Council) through dedicated state-level competitions.
“Yearly technical official and coaching courses will be conducted to maintain and improve standards,” he said.
He then called on unity and collaboration in building Sarawak into a national aquatic powerhouse.
