KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government has not made a financial pledge to co-host the 2027 South East Asian (SEA) Games, says Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
The state Finance Minister reiterated this stance following the weekly state Cabinet meeting, emphasising that Sabah was not ready to co-host the international sporting event due to inadequate sports facilities.
“Sabah Cabinet today confirmed during a meeting that no financial commitment has ever been made for hosting the 2027 SEA Games.
“The Sabah government is also not yet prepared to be a co-host as sports facilities in the state still need to be improved," he said on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (Sept 4).
This clarification follows an announcement last week by the Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh that Malaysia had accepted the offer to host the 2027 SEA Games, with Penang, Sabah, and Sarawak agreeing to co-host the event alongside Kuala Lumpur.
Yeoh revealed that the ministry turned down offers from other states to co-host the games because they were unwilling to share the costs.
She said the total cost was estimated at RM700mil, based on the expenses of the 2017 SEA Games, adding that Sarawak had agreed to contribute RM300mil, while Sabah had allegedly pledged RM100mil and Penang RM15mil.
