Borneo Games
| First event | 1955 Borneo Games in Seria, Brunei |
|---|---|
| Occur every | Every year, then 2 years (every odd year); not fixed |
| Last event | 2025 |
| Next event | 2027 |
| Purpose | Multi-sport event for regions and countries on the island of Borneo |
Borneo Games (Indonesian: Pesta Olahraga Borneo; Malay: Sukan Borneo) is an annual multi-sport event involving participants from regions and countries in the island of Borneo. This sporting event began in 1955. The sport was revived in 2005 and was held every 2 years until 2013. It was revived again in 2025 in Kuching, Sarawak. In the first season of the Borneo Games, in 1955, only three regions participated, namely Brunei, North Borneo (now Sabah), and Sarawak. The current latest edition of the sporting event is scheduled to be held in Kuching from to 28 September 2025.
History
The first Borneo Games were held in 1955 in Seria, Brunei with three British Borneo territories as participants, namely Brunei, North Borneo (now Sabah), and Sarawak. It was organised by the British Borneo Amateur Athletics Board to select British Borneo representatives at the championships in Malaya. In the 1960s, several types of sports were competed between the three regions such as association football, badminton, hockey, and basketball.[1] In 1970, the Borneo Games were discontinued at the 16th edition due to several factors such as financial problems.[2]
Participants
| Region | Official name | |
|---|---|---|
| Brunei | Negara Brunei Darussalam (lit. 'State of Brunei Darussalam') | |
| Malaysia | ||
| Sabah | Negeri Sabah (lit. 'State of Sabah') | |
| Sarawak | Negeri Sarawak (lit. 'State of Sarawak') | |
| Labuan | Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan (lit. 'Federal Territory of Labuan') | |
| Indonesia | ||
| West Kalimantan | Provinsi Kalimantan Barat (lit. 'Province of West Kalimantan') | |
| South Kalimantan | Provinsi Kalimantan Selatan (lit. 'Province of South Kalimantan') | |
| Central Kalimantan | Provinsi Kalimantan Tengah (lit. 'Province of Central Kalimantan') | |
| East Kalimantan | Provinsi Kalimantan Timur (lit. 'Province of East Kalimantan') | |
| North Kalimantan | Provinsi Kalimantan Utara (lit. 'Province of North Kalimantan') | |
- Invited participants
Tournament edition
| Edition | Year | Host city | Host region | Start date | End date | Participants | Competitors | Sports | Championship team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1955 | Seria | Brunei | 30 July 1955 | 3 | [3] | ||||
| 3 | 1957 | Jesselton | North Borneo | 27 July 1957 | 3 | [4] | ||||
| 6 | 1960 | Kuching | Sarawak | 9 July 1960 | 3 | 17 | [5] | |||
| 8 | 1962 | Jubilee Sports Field, Kuching | Sarawak | 13 July 1962 | 14 July 1962 | 3 | Sarawak (men) Brunei (women) |
[6][7] | ||
| 9 | 1963 | Jesselton | North Borneo | 13 July 1963 | 14 July 1963 | 3 | North Borneo (men) North Borneo (women) |
[8] | ||
| 13 | 1967 | Seria | Brunei | 14 July 1967 | 15 July 1967 | 3 | [9] | |||
| 14 | 1968 | Kuching | Sarawak | 26 July 1968 | 27 July 1968 | 3 | [10] | |||
| 16 | 1970 | Brunei | Brunei | 17 July 1970 | 18 July 1970 | 3 | Cancelled due to the Sultan of Brunei's birthday and the Commonwealth Games | [11] | ||
| Discontinued and replaced by the sports events in Brunei | ||||||||||
| I | 2005 | Sabah | 17 December 2005 | 21 December 2005 | ||||||
| II | 2007 | Sarawak | Sabah | |||||||
| III | 2009 | Brunei | 29 November 2009 | 6 December 2009 | 7 | Sabah | [12] | |||
| IV | 2011 | Samarinda | East Kalimantan | 4 December 2011 | 11 December 2011 | 8 | East Kalimantan | [13] | ||
| V | 2013 | Labuan | 14 September 2013 | 21 September 2013 | 12 | [14] | ||||
| VI | 2025 | Petra Jaya Sports Complex, Kuching | Sarawak | 24 September 2025 | 28 September 2025 | 5 | 8 | Sarawak | [15] | |
| VII | 2027 | Samarinda | East Kalimantan | [16] | ||||||
Sports
Several sports events were contested at the first edition of the Borneo Games. Since the Borneo Games were revived, more sports events have been contested, including traditional sports.
| Sports | Year |
|---|---|
| Badminton | 2011, 2025 |
| Association football | 2011 |
| Bowling alley | 2009, 2025 |
| Eight-ball | 2009 |
| Futsal | 2011 |
| Spinning top | 2011 |
| Golf | 2025 |
| Hockey | 2009 |
| Kempo | 2011 |
| Archery | 2025 |
| Menyumpit | 2025 |
| Nine-ball | 2009 |
| Athletics | 1962, 2011, 2025 |
| Pencak silat | 2009 |
| Swimming | 2025 |
| Sepak takraw | 2011 |
| Tug of war | 2025 |
| Tennis | 2009 |
Reorganization
After being discontinued in 1970, the Borneo Games were re-organised in Sabah in 2005. This new tournament is also competed by provinces in Kalimantan, Indonesia and other invited foreign regions. More events are being contested including traditional sports. The Borneo Games were halted again in 2013 in Labuan and will be re-organised in 2025 in Kuching.[17][18][19]
See also
References
- ^ "Sukan Borneo". Majlis Sukan Negeri Sabah (in Malay). Archived from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ "Sukan Borneo". Majlis Sukan Negeri Sarawak (in Malay). Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ "First 'Borneo Games' on July 30". The Straits Times. Sandakan. 23 Jun 1955. p. 13. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ "Athletics Booming in Borneo". The Straits Times. 4 July 1957. p. 14. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Six records go at Borneo Games". The Straits Times. Kuching. 16 July 1960. p. 16. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Sukan Borneo: Brunei Menang Bahagian Wanita" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). Kuching. 18 July 1962. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Wanita2 Brunei berjaya di-temasha Sukan Borneo" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). Kuching. 1 August 1962. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Adina's jump is Asian class". The Straits Times. Jesselton. 17 July 1963. p. 16. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Borneo Games". The Straits Times. Bandar Brunei. 12 June 1957. p. 17. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "New marks in Borneo Games". The Straits Times. 28 July 1968. p. 14. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Pesta Sukan bagi menggantikan Sukan Borneo" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). Kuching. 29 April 1970. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Pelita Brunei: Keluaran Khas" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). Brunei. 5 December 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Kalimantan Timur sapu 57 emas, 32 perak dan 37 gangsa". Pelita Brunei (in Malay). Kalimantan Timur. 14 December 2011. p. 22. Archived from the original on 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Sukan Borneo ke-5, 2013". Labuan Island (in Malay). 15 September 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ "Enam Kontinjen Bakal Bersaing Pada Sukan Borneo 2025" (in Malay). Kuching: BERNAMA. 4 July 2025. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Kaltim Tuan Rumah Sukan Borneo 2027". www.sapos.co.id (in Indonesian). Samarinda Pos. 30 September 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
- ^ "Sarawak takes the lead in bringing back Borneo Games". New Straits Times. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ^ "Sarawak aims to host revived Borneo Games in second half of 2025, says state minister". The Star. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ^ "Progress made to revive Borneo Games in 2025". The Borneo Post. 11 February 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.