KUCHING, The Sarawak women's rugby team has set its sights on advancing to the finals of the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) 2024, which will take place from Aug 17 to 24. The team's state manager, Faqrul Hafiz Abu Bakar, said that if the team can surpass the quarterfinal stage, there is a strong possibility they could win the gold medal. "The women's rugby team has an advantage with the inclusion of seven players who previously represented the national team in Malaysia's senior U20 and U18 squads. "Their experience at the national level is expected to help the team achieve its set goals," he told Bernama. Faqrul added that besides the women's team, he also has high hopes for the men's team, despite the absence of national players. "We have high hopes for the Sarawak team to compete with other teams in this edition and to display an outstanding performance. "With intensive preparation and strong commitment, we hope they can achieve remarkable success in the SUKMA tournament," he said. The rugby competition wil l be held from Aug 19 to 22 at Miri Stadium, located in the northern part of Sarawak, approximately 800 kilometres from Kuching. SUKMA 2024 will showcase 37 sports, featuring a total of 488 events: 236 for men, 217 for women, and 35 mixed events. It will take place in Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, Sri Aman, Betong, Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu, and Miri. Sarawak has previously hosted SUKMA twice, in 1990 and 2016. Source: BERNAMA News Agency