President of Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council (BDNOC), His Royal Highness Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah, expressed his full support for charitable sports events, such as the "Charity for Nancy" futsal competition.

"This is a very good (charity) tournament," HRH told The Brunei Times at the final round of the competition at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas yesterday.

HRH played for BDNOC against the White Lion team yesterday in the tournament's Special Category. Also playing in the team was his son, Yang Amat Mulia Pg Muda 'Abdul 'Aleem. White Lion emerged the winners after scoring two penalties against their opponents. In the Open Category, Rizfit FT beat SyahKampong 2:1.

HRH said he fully supported charity tournaments being held in the country and that he would participate in similar events in the future. He also lauded the involvement of the participants and the organisers for making the event a success.

The four-day competition, which was organised by the Department of Youth and Sports, in collaboration with the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD), ended yesterday. It raised $2,400 for Tea Ai Seng (pic), (known as Nancy) to help cover the cost of her care. Nancy, a two-time Southeast Asian (SEA) Games bronze medallist at the 1999 Games in Brunei, suffered a fall last year and had to undergo two spinal operations that left her wheelchair-bound.

On hand to present the medals was Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hj Hazair Hj Abdullah.

The minister said he was encouraged by the support people in Brunei had given to charitable sports events and that more were planned to be held in the near future. He said a number of sports events - including zumbathon, a run, futsal and golf - are scheduled to be held next month to help the victims of the recent fire in Kg Setia 'A' in Kg Ayer.

"I think it is in the pipeline and we are hoping the public, especially young people, will come forward to join in the events," the minister told The Brunei Times.

He called on the public to actively participate in future charitable sports events.

Speaking about the recent futsal tournament, YB Pehin Dato Hj Hazair said it was not just the players but their supporters whose participation had been crucial. He said he was impressed with the "spirit of camaraderie, support" and the " oneness among the youth", adding that these type of events were good for building resilience, cooperation and a sense of pride in the teams, villages, mukims and the nation as a whole.

Previously, nearly 900 people participated in a zumbathon competition for charity, while thousands joined in the 5.5-kilometer run and 29.5-kilometre cycle events. "I would like to express my sincere thanks to all parties who have been very kind to help me, such as the Department of Youth and Sports, the BDNOC, Chung Hwa School and all the people in Brunei who took part in the "Charity for Nancy" tournament, she said.

Courtesy from Brunei Times