A different kind of Sukma, but still a great start

THE 20th edition of the Malaysia Games (Sukma) just kicked off on Malaysia Day yesterday, but already the excitement has reached a high, with the blue riband event – the 100m dash – completed.

The organisers have been superfast in getting their act together, too. Just check out the website – it’s quite impressive.

It’s user-friendly and the National Sports Council (NSC) team have even set up their own live coverage of the daily action.

If you missed the great sprint to gold by Perak’s Mohd Azeem Fahmi yesterday, watch the replay on www.sukma2020.nsc.gov.my

That website can be a model for all future hosts. In fact, most National Sports Associations (NSA) should take a cue from it and revive their drab websites, which consist of old information.

We have to congratulate the NSC team. It was not easy to bring together 9,361 athletes and officials from 14 states and also Brunei (40) to compete in 31 sports offering a whopping 426 gold medals.

It’s even more impressive considering that work only started after it was decided last year that NSC would host the 20th edition.

Johor were supposed to host the Games in 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to it. It also brought a change of policy.

From this year on, the NSC will host alternate editions of the Sukma.

If Johor host the 2024 edition, NSC will again host the 2026 edition to optimise the Bukit Jalil sports facilities. It will also give the states at least four years to prepare for the Games – in terms of infrastructure as well as the fresh faces and talent.

Hopefully, this will mean having athletes from more states in all important sports. This year, some of the women diving events had to be dropped because only three states could field athletes.

The rules stipulate that there must be representatives from eight states for an event to be held, and this year, that was lowered to six.

Are all states sincere in unearthing talents? Is Sukma even still relevant?

Of course, Sukma is important. It is where our future stars are unveiled.

But not this year, though. This edition is slightly different because of the number of elite athletes taking centrestage.

There is some justification for it, though.

Take debutant Ng Tze Yong, for example. The Commonwealth Games singles silver medal winner had wanted to get his break in the 2020 edition but it got scrapped. And he is 22.

In order to give Tze Yong and others like him a chance to compete in Sukma, the hosts have changed the age eligibility from Under-21 to Under-23.

But it comes with a catch. Their Sukma records will not be recognised.

“It’s a win-win situation really. Many athletes have prepared since 2018 but never got to take part. So, we have given them a chance to compete,” said NSC director-general Ahmad Shapawi Ismail. “The Games records are not recognised because of altered age eligibility but let’s hope our athletes will raise the bar to set national marks.”

There have been teething problems but that is expected, especially when hosting a big Games during the transition into the endemic phase.

We can expect to see some great performances, hopefully with a lot of of sportsmanship. States need to compete without cheating or manipulating the rules.

The golds cannot be the only goal.

I really hope doping cases, bungling officials or unsporting states do not spoil the image of the Games.