2027 SEA Games is on with Sabah, Sarawak and Penang co-hosting

Top-notch facilities: Perak’s Mohd Shah Sholihin Azshar in action in the boys’ triple jump final event during the Malaysia Games (Sukma) at the Sarawak Stadium. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

PETALING JAYA: The government have accepted the South-East Asian (SEA) Games Federation’s offer for Malaysia to host the 2027 SEA Games.

The Youth and Sports Ministry, in a statement yesterday, said the Cabinet approved the decision after taking into account Sarawak, Sabah and Penang’s willingness to use their respective budgets to co-host the biennial multi-sport Games.

In May 2022, the SEA Games Federation unanimously agreed to hand the rights to organise the 2027 SEA Games to Malaysia after Brunei withdrew.

But on Aug 18, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said she was waiting for the respective finance and economy ministries to provide feedback on hosting the SEA Games, after which a proposal would be brought to the Cabinet.

The 2027 SEA Games will be Malaysia’s seventh time as host. It previously hosted the 1965, 1971, 1977, 1989, 2001 and 2017 editions.

National Sports Council director-general Abdul Rashid Yaakub supported the government’s decision, stating that the organisation of the SEA Games outside of Kuala Lumpur was not something foreign to the country as a similar arrangement also took place in Penang and Johor in the 2001 edition.

“Some of the existing facilities in Sarawak were at the best level for the hosting of international Games while there are also some that need to be improved.

“Sarawak played host to the 21st edition of the Malaysia Games (Sukma) recently, so it does not require a lot of cost because the facilities are already up,” he said.

Malaysia was the host of the 2001 edition of the SEA Games, which was jointly organised by the states of Johor, Penang and Negri Sembilan, where the national contingent emerged as the overall winners with 111 gold medals.