KAJANG, July 13 — Dataran Kemerdekaan in Shah Alam is almost certainly to be the venue for the Malaysian Games (SUKMA) opening ceremony, said state executive councillor for youth, sports and entrepreneurship Mohd Najwan Halimi.
He added that this is in line with the state’s aim of moderation.
“We are leaning towards Dataran Kemerdekaan Shah Alam as the opening ceremony venue, and an official announcement will be made soon.
“The choice of Dataran Kemerdekaan Shah Alam was made in line with Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj’s decree for SUKMA to be conducted with prudence and in moderation,” he told reporters at the 22nd SUKMA torch relay in Stadium Kajang here last night.
Najwan said the opening ceremony would be on a smaller scale than the original plan of having it at the Sepang International Circuit.
“Even though it is (smaller), the opening ceremony will still feature main elements like the march of contingents, flag-raising ceremony, and igniting the SUKMA torch.
“Between 2,000 and 3,000 contingent members are set to participate in the opening ceremony, which is also open to the public to make the atmosphere merrier and make SUKMA a people’s event,” Najwan explained.
SUKMA Selangor 2026 will be held from August 15 to 24 and feature 469 events in 37 sports, while Para SUKMA will be held from September 5 to 14 and feature 316 events in 10 sports.
Malaysia’s biggest sporting event involves 15 contingents from all states as well as Brunei.
