'Charity for Nancy' draws a sea of Bruneians

THE entrance of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium was a sea of yellow shirts to support the "Charity for Nancy", as thousands of Bruneians turned up to lend a hand to the fundraising activity in a fun run and cycle yesterday evening.

The crowd, comprising 2,049 runners and 278 cyclists had nothing but smiles and enthusiasm on their faces as they showed up to help Brunei's former national athlete who recently suffered a spinal injury.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hj Hazair Hj Abdullah said the turnout was "overwhelming for Nancy's cause".

"I did not expect the turn out to be so big. This shows our people, especially our youth, are very caring and are concerned about the plight of the people of Brunei," the minister told The Brunei Times in an interview.

Especially with Nancy Tea Ai Seng, who has contributed to the country by winning two bronze medals in the 1999 SEA games and her service as a sports trainer for 20 years, YB Pehin Dato Hj Hazair said it was very encouraging to see many who in turn came to support her. "I am sure that our people will come together again and give their support like this for other causes from different people as well in the future," he said.

YB Pehin Dato Hj Hazair added Bruneians were indeed a "pride to the country."

Nancy said she was thankful to all Bruneians who came to show their support to her, and stressed that she will do all in her power to strengthen her state. "I am very very happy by looking at all the people that turned up tonight. Now, I feel even more motivated to try my best to improve my condition through rehabilitation," she said.

She thanked the ministry and its Youth and Sports Department, Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC), the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital, Chung Hwa Middle School and Association of Track and Field for helping her since her condition first surfaced about a year ago.

After a warm-up exercise, YB Pehin Dato Hj Hazair sounded the horn to mark the start of the fun run and cycle just outside the entrance of the national stadium. The distance for the cyclists was 29.5 kilometre, while the runners covered a 5.5 kilometre route.

Nancy herself, despite being in a wheelchair, showed her enthusiasm as she joined the rest in the fun run. Last night's charity fun run and cycle was part of an activity for "Charity for Nancy", organised by the Youth and Sports Department in collaboration with the Brunei Darussalam Amateur Athletics Association and the Brunei Darussalam Cycling Federation. According to a press statement by the Youth and Sports Department, proceeds from the event will be handed over to Nancy. The Brunei Times