West Asia Conflict Will Not Affect Malaysia's Preparations To Host 2027 SEA Games - Minister

By Amiril Muttaqien Meketar and Ahmad Nazrin Syahmi Mohamad Arif

PUTRAJAYA, March 23 (Bernama) -- The current economic challenges and the conflict in West Asia will not affect Malaysia’s preparations as host of the 2027 SEA Games, said Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari.

Despite adopting cost-saving measures in response to these situations, he said the standards and quality of the event will be assured to maintain the prestige of the biennial Games.

He said the savings measures include utilising existing facilities across the four main clusters for the Games, involving Sarawak, Penang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur.

“We will not be spending large sums on constructing new facilities. Almost all the venues already have complete facilities and are ready for the hosting of the 2027 SEA Games.

“What is most important now is the improvement or upgrading of existing facilities rather than building new infrastructure that would incur higher costs,” he said in an exclusive interview with a Bernama team led by editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj at the minister's office recently.

Sarawak will serve as the main cluster and the location for the opening ceremony of the Games, with 17 sports to be contested: aquatics, weightlifting, basketball, bowling, lawn bowls, e-sports, gymnastics, golf, cricket, archery, shooting, Muay Thai, petanque, squash, taekwondo, tennis and wushu.

The Penang cluster will host six sports: sepak takraw, snooker and billiards, judo, boxing, table tennis and floorball, while the Johor cluster will host only one event, football.

The Kuala Lumpur cluster will stage the closing ceremony and 14 sports: badminton, cycling (National Velodrome, Nilai), volleyball, netball, equestrian, hockey, karate, fencing, ice skating, athletics, pencak silat, sailing (Langkawi), rugby and water skiing.

Acknowledging that hosting the Games across four clusters presents logistical challenges, Mohammed Taufiq is confident that the 34th SEA Games Organising Committee (MASOC) will ensure the event runs smoothly.

“I am confident that the committee is working diligently, efficiently and in an organised manner to ensure that this SEA Games will run smoothly and be among the best compared to previous editions,” he said.

The Games will take place from Sept 18 to 29.

-- BERNAMA