PETALING JAYA: The National Sports Council (NSC) have taken a proactive step by working with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to ensure that no elements of corruption will taint the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Selangor from Aug 15-24 next year.
NSC, as the governing body that oversee Sukma, together with Selangor, the host for the 22nd edition, brought together 37 technical delegation heads and competition managers for the Corruption-Free Pledge Programme in Shah Alam yesterday.
During the programme, the officials not only received a briefing on corruption from MACC officers but also took an oath to remain free from graft. NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin said while no official reports of corruption had ever been lodged in past editions of Sukma, there had been murmurs from some state officials who were unhappy when their athletes lost.
There had also been accusations of match-fixing among competing athletes although no cases had ever been reported.
“This coming Sukma, we want to be free from any element of corruption. Especially on technical matters as certain sports can be subjective.
“There have always been some talk behind the scenes that they are involved in many controversial results, technical decisions and tight calls.
“So we are hoping that by doing this we can eliminate all elements of corruption in all the games in 2026,” said Jefri.
He also hope that such claims will no longer surface as the officials appointed for next year’s Games have already been briefed and are now more aware of the issue.
“This will also put to rest claims from some parties, particularly participating states, that corruption may have taken place whenever their athletes lose during the Games.
“We hope that with this effort, everyone will be able to carry out their duties with integrity and accountability,” he added.
Sukma Selangor will feature 34 sports in total, including 30 core sports.
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