YB Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma
Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hj
Hazair Hj Abdullah (R),Minister
of Culture, Youth and Sports,
met Jeremy Browne,Minister for
the Olympics at the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office on Saturday
in London.Picture:Courtesy of
British High Commission

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hj Hazair Hj Abdullah paid a courtesy call to Jeremy Browne, the Minister for the Olympics at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London on Saturday.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports is in London to attend both the Olympics and also the Sixth Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports congratulated the hosts on a fantastic opening ceremony, which was "very British".

He enjoyed the interactive approach, in which he had fully participated in.

Browne went on to thank him and said he was pleased that he had enjoyed the evening.

Browne also wished the Sultanate's athletes Anderson Lim Chee Wei, Maziah Mahusin and Ak Hafiy Tajuddin Pg Rositi all the best and welcomed Brunei's first female athlete to participate in the Olympics.

He also observed that this year Diamond Jubilee, Olympic and Paralympic Games had reinforced historical connections between Brunei and Britain.

He admired the way the Sultanate used these occasions to promote nation building, public health and an inclusive society.

"Our two nations have shared aspirations and I hope that we can continue to develop our strong cultural and historical ties," said Browne in a press statement.

Browne recalled that YB Pehin Dato Hj Hazair had visited the Olympic Park in December and met with several British firms which had delivered London 2012 on time and on budget.

He hoped such tried and tested expertise might be of assistance to countries hosting major sporting events in Southeast Asia.

After the courtesy call, YB Pehin Dato Hj Hazair visited the Olympic Village and met the Brunei contingent.

Also present was Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Hamid Mohd Jaafar, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

So far in the July 27-Aug 12 multi-sport event, only Lim has competed for Brunei swimming to a new national record in heats of the 200-metre freestyle event on Sunday.

The 16-year-old finished with a time of 2:02.26 shaving some three seconds off his previous best at the Aquatics Centre of Olympic Park.

The previous best by first Bruneian Olympic swimmer was 2:05.19 which he set just last month during a Summer Camp.

On the other hand, Maziah is expected to take to the tracks on Friday in the 400m event while Ak Hafiy Tajuddin will compete the following day.

Courtesy from Brunei Times