Tenom gears up for packed sports and agriculture calendar to drive tourism, business

Tenom will host a series of sports, agriculture, fisheries and tourism events from August to November, with the programmes expected to boost visitor arrivals and stimulate the local economy.

TENOM: Tenom is set to host a series of major sports, agriculture, fisheries and tourism events from August to November, with the programmes expected to boost the local economy and attract visitors from across Sabah and beyond.

State Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the overwhelming response to the 30th MABA-MATRIX National Basketball Championship 2026 reflected Tenom's growing potential as a venue for national-level events.

Jamawi, who is also the Melalap assemblyman, said the championship marked the first time the national tournament had been held in the interior district and received an encouraging turnout from basketball enthusiasts.

"On behalf of the people of Tenom, I would like to thank the Malaysian Basketball Association (MABA) and the Sabah Basketball Association (SABA) for choosing Tenom as the host of this national championship.

"This is the first time a national basketball championship has been held here and the response has been tremendous. We hope more tournaments and major events will be organised in Tenom in the future," he told reporters after officiating the championship on Friday night.

Jamawi said the district had lined up a calendar of programmes spanning sports, agriculture, fisheries and tourism over the next four months.

Among the upcoming events is the Sabah Under-16 Football Championship, scheduled to take place from Aug 3 to 7.

The Sabah Agriculture Park will then host the Flower Festival from Sept 12 to 20, followed by the state-level Love Our Rivers programme on Sept 26.

In October, Tenom will host the Farmers, Breeders and Fishermen's Day celebration as well as the Sabah state-level camping programme.

The series of events will conclude with the Tenom Food Festival in November.

"We hope these programmes will not only enliven Tenom but also stimulate the local economy through higher visitor arrivals and increased business activity," he said.

Also present were Tenom Member of Parliament Riduan Rubin, Sabah Basketball Association president Phan Chee Yong and organising committee chairman Chu Cheong Sin.