KUCHING, The Sarawak cricket ground located at the Sarawak Sports Complex in Petra Jaya will be upgraded into a stadium with complete facilities after the Malaysia Games (SUKMA XXI) this month, according to State Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah. At the moment, the field does not have basic facilities such as dressing rooms for cricketers and spectator seats. Abdul Karim said the upgrade is needed to further promote the sport which is now becoming more popular in the state. 'We will upgrade it after SUKMA, with spectator seats and a building next to it, just like a stadium,' he said after launching the Sarawak cricket pitch for SUKMA here today. Abdul Karim further said that the upgrading cost could reach up to millions of ringgit. SUKMA 2024, which is scheduled for Aug 17-24, will be held across the nine divisions of Sarawak, namely Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, Sri Aman, Betong, Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu and Miri. This Games will feature 488 events, co vering 37 sports, consisting of 236 men's events, 217 women's events, and 35 mixed events, and is expected to bring together 12,619 athletes and officials from across the country. SUKMA, which was introduced in 1986, has been organised in Sarawak twice before in 1990 and 2016. Source: BERNAMA News Agency