SHAH ALAM, May 10 — Selangor will fully bear the cost of organising the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) 2026 and Para SUKMA 2026 without any allocation from the Federal government.
State executive councillor for youth, sports, and entrepreneurship Mohd Najwan Halimi said the state government is currently relying entirely on its own funds to ensure the Games' smooth organisation.
“We have also received an official letter from the Youth and Sports Malaysia Ministry informing us that no allocation will be channelled to Selangor SUKMA.
“Therefore, from the original RM100 million allocation prepared, we have reduced the budget to around RM40 million to RM50 million, with the main focus being on the organisation of sporting events and athletes’ welfare,” he said.
Najwan was speaking to the media after the first series of the 22nd SUKMA and Para SUKMA 2026 Torch Run programme, at Dataran Kemerdekaan Shah Alam today.
He added that the opening ceremony venue, which was previously planned for the Sepang International Circuit, will be moved to another, more modest location.
“We do not want to hold an opening ceremony that appears extravagant or involves excessive spending. There may be no fireworks and other luxury elements because we want to focus on the athletes representing their respective states.
“We are responding to the decree of the Sultan of Selangor that expenditure control should be prioritised. The opening and closing ceremonies of SUKMA 2026 will still be held, but on a smaller and more modest scale,” Najwan said.
Simultaneously, several additional measures are being implemented to reduce operational costs, including allowing each state contingent to print its own accreditation cards for athletes and officials.
“Additional contingent officials beyond the set quota will also be charged RM100 per person. The number of SUKMA volunteers has also been reduced from the original target of nearly 30,000 people to only around 3,000 to 5,000,” he said.
Meanwhile, the rhythmic swimming event has been removed from SUKMA 2026 after failing to meet the minimum participation requirement of at least six states.
“The decision was made during the SUKMA Supreme Committee meeting after artistic swimming failed to attract sufficient participation from state contingents,” Najwan said.
He noted that the sport had previously involved five events with five medals contested, resulting in a reduction in the total number of SUKMA events.
“Originally, we had 474 events, but following the removal of rhythmic swimming, which involved five events and five medals, the total has been reduced to 469 events,” Najwan said.
SUKMA 2026 is scheduled to take place from August 15 to August 24, while Para SUKMA will run from September 5 to September 14.
