Mohd Najwan (with torch) and Yazid arriving at KLIA with the Sukma XXII mascots. – CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
THE Sukma (Malaysia Games) XXII Selangor 2026 torch relay will travel across Selangor's nine districts through town and city centres, community hubs and sports venues across the state.
Selangor youth, sports and entrepreneurship committee chairman Mohd Najwan Halimi said the relay is expected to begin in April after Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
He said this after arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday (Jan 7) with the Sukma torch following a three-day official visit by the Selangor Sukma secretariat delegation to Sabah and Sarawak.
"The relay will involve all nine districts in Selangor and until August.
"The torch relay will be a historic moment for Selangor," he said, adding that a detailed schedule would be announced in the coming months.
Mohd Najwan said the Sukma secretariat would seek cooperation from local authorities, district offices and higher education institutions to support the state-wide campaign.
Mohd Najwan said Selangor last hosted Sukma in 1998.
He said Sukma 2026, scheduled from Aug 15 to 24, would be the second time Selangor hosts the biennial multi-sport event.
Mohd Najwan said the trip to Sabah and Sarawak was part of Sukma tradition, where the host state makes courtesy calls and extends official invitations to participating states.
In Sabah, the official invitation was received by Sabah youth, sports development and creative economy minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan.
He said the delegation then paid a courtesy visit to Sarawak youth, sports and entrepreneur development minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Mohd Najwan said Sarawak was the previous host state and a symbolic handover of the torch was held in the state.
Also present at the meeting were Sukma XXII Selangor 2026 secretariat chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Yazid Sairi and Selangor Sports Council and Selangor Sports Council (MSN) Executive Director Mohamad Nizam Marjugi.
On Sukma preparations, Mohd Najwan said Selangor was about 80% ready in terms of venues, covering infrastructure and sports facilities across districts and local council areas.
He said two key venues undergoing major upgrades are the Darul Ehsan Aquatic Centre in Section 13, Shah Alam and the Subang National Shooting Range.
He said Selangor was targeting for facilities to be ready by April as upgrading works continue.
For e-sports, Mohd Najwan said events would be held at the Melawati Convention Centre in Taman Melawati, Ampang.
On accommodation for contingents, Mohd Najwan said Selangor may take a more flexible approach instead of relying solely on a games village model.
He said the priority was to reduce travel time for athletes and manage traffic congestion, which he described as the main challenge.
He said state contingents could stay in hotels or other accommodation at negotiated rates and discussions would continue with higher education institutions for dormitory options for teams that prefer a village-style arrangement.
A total of 474 events across 37 sports will be contested at this year's Sukma.
Para Sukma will involve 10 sports and nearly 300 events from Sept 5 to 14.
A total of 52 venues across nine districts will be used as competition sites, involving 12 local authorities, public and private higher education institutions, government and private agencies as well as the National Velodrome in Negri Sembilan.
