PUTRAJAYA, April 30 — Cost-cutting moves and prudent spending for the Malaysian Games (SUKMA) Selangor 2026 won’t affect the quality or standard of the biennial event, said state executive councillor for youth, sports and entrepreneurship Mohd Najwan Halimi.
He added that SUKMA will be staged based on its original goal and the advice of Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj.
“From the tournament and technical aspects, we will stage (the event) according to established standards. We don’t want this cost-reduction subject to be a reason for the event’s decreased standard.
“We want to ensure that even though costs are reduced, the staging of the event, and sports we offer is done according to standards set by the ministry,” he told a press conference after a SUKMA Supreme Committee meeting at the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) headquarters here today.
Also present was Youth and Sports Minister Mohammed Taufiq Johari.
Najwan said SUKMA emphasises athlete development and recruiting talent that could represent the country on bigger stages, adding that the event is not just a competition, but an important platform where national reserve athletes are discovered.
To this end, he said, prudent spending means talent development efforts can continue.
On April 20, Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj suggested SUKMA Selangor 2026 be postponed until the West Asia conflict is resolved and the Shah Alam Sports Complex is completed.
Yesterday, Sultan Sharafuddin granted Taufiq an audience at Istana Bukit Kayangan in Shah Alam, to obtain updates on the biennial event Selangor is hosting.
According to the Selangor Royal Office in a Facebook post, His Royal Highness expressed satisfaction over the meeting and with organisers’ cost-saving measures.
The 22nd SUKMA will be held from August 15 to 24, while Para SUKMA will be held from September 5 to 14.
SUKMA Selangor 2026 will see 474 events in 37 sports held in 52 venues across Selangor’s nine districts, except for track cycling, which will be held at the National Velodrome in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, while Para SUKMA Selangor 2026 will see 316 events in 10 sports.
