ISKANDAR PUTERI: Canoe and kayak should be included as core sports in future Malaysia Games (Sukma) editions regardless of host state, says Mohd Hairi Mad Shah.
The Johor youth, sports, entrepreneur development and cooperatives committee chairman added that both sports were contested at major international multi-sport events, including the Olympics, and should therefore not be left out of the national games.
“I have raised this issue at the monthly Sukma meetings. Canoe and kayak are core sports that are contested at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and SEA Games, and should be included in every Sukma regardless of who the host is,” he said.
Mohd Hairi, who is also the Larkin assemblyman, said this to reporters after the flag handover ceremony for the Johor Sukma contingent held at Bangunan Temenggong Ibrahim in Kota Iskandar here on Monday (Aug 3).
He added that it was unfair for athletes to have their events excluded after spending years training and preparing for competition simply because the host state did not include the sports in its programme.
“I feel disappointed when hosts do not give enough attention to canoe and other core sports. The athletes have trained hard, only for their efforts to be put aside,” he said.
Mohd Hairi urged the Youth and Sports Ministry to conduct a comprehensive review of the Sukma programme and identify core sports that should be made compulsory at every edition.
He said the Games should not only focus on producing an overall champion but should also serve as a platform to develop and nurture the country’s future sporting talent.
“Johor will send 34 of our paddlers to compete in the 2026 International Va’a Federation (IVF) World Elite and Club Sprint Championship at Marina Bay, Singapore, later this month.
“Such international exposure will provide Johor’s athletes with an opportunity to compete at a high level while the state continued efforts to develop and strengthen its sporting talent,” he added.
Meanwhile, Hairi said Johor would send more than 1,000 athletes and officials to Sukma Selangor, including more than 600 athletes, and was targeting 45 gold medals while aiming to finish among the top three in the overall medal tally.
He said the state government would maintain its gold medal incentives, with individual and doubles winners receiving RM10,000 each, while athletes in teams of three to seven would receive RM9,000 each and those in teams of more than seven would receive RM8,500 each.
