BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, August 7, 2010

FIFTEEN individuals have submitted applications to join a team on a national expedition to scale the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest.

The Brunei Chess Federation, which is organising the climb, announced on June 13 that they were opening the team to seven more members.

They are looking for the best seven applicants to form the team, said Pg Hj Sharifuddin Pg Hj Bakar, a senior member of the organisation.

“The response has been good. We have so far received 15 applications and have received more enquiries about the expedition. We are very hopeful that more applications will be forthcoming,” he said.

The selection criteria will be stringent and exhaustive as the group wants to search for members of the right caliber to carry the national flag to the summit of the mountain.

The organisation has very high expectations that they will find the members within their set timeframe.

They did not specify the types of preparatory training that will be involved but did emphasise that outdoor experience would be advantageous to athletic people.

Pg Hj Sharifuddin said: “Selecting the team will be the first hurdle. Commitment is very important.”

He said he hopes this expedition will be able to prove the Bruneian youths can walk among the best.

“It will be a very proud moment for Bruneians to carry and plant the flag to the peak of the world,” he said.

Interested parties can forward their enquiries to bruneiteam.everest@gmail.com.

The Brunei Times

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