SHAH ALAM, Aug 5 — State executive councillor for youth, sports and entrepreneurship Mohd Najwan Halimi has suggested that assemblymen who are also MPs raise in Parliament the issue of federal funding for the Malaysian Games (SUKMA) Selangor 2026, as the state received no allocation despite applying for assistance.
Najwan said no justification has been given despite Selangor’s repeated requests for financial aid from the federal government.
He called on MPs in the state assembly (Gombak: Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, Kuala Langat: Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi) to pursue the matter at the federal level.
“I wrote to both the former youth and sports minister, who is now Federal Territories minister (Hannah Yeoh), and current Youth and Sports Minister (Mohammed Taufiq Johari).
“Initially, there was no response. After the new youth and sports minister took office, I submitted another letter requesting some funding. Although I received a reply, no allocation was provided,” he said during the question-and-answer session at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly here today.
Najwan was responding to Kota Damansara assemblyman Muhammad Izuan Ahmad Kasim’s question about whether the state government has received any justification from the federal government, especially the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS), for not providing funds for Selangor to host SUKMA.
He clarified that Selangor was chosen in 2024 to host SUKMA 2026, after which the state began seeking federal funding.
In May, KBS confirmed in an official letter that no direct monetary funds will be channelled to Selangor for the Games, in line with federal cost-cutting measures due to the West Asia conflict.
Instead of cash, the federal government said it would make available federal-owned facilities and amenities, and cover anti-doping test costs through the Malaysian Anti-Doping Agency (ADAMAS).
Najwan said Selangor is organising SUKMA 2026 with state funds and sponsorships, adding that it is an unhealthy precedent for future hosts.
“Kelantan will host the next SUKMA in 2028. We hope it will also become an excellent host, and that future hosts will receive federal allocations. There should be allocations from the federal government for future SUKMA hosts,” he urged.
He also revealed that Sarawak, which hosted the 2024 edition, reportedly received almost RM50 million in federal funding, with the overall organisation costs exceeding RM250 million.
Earlier, Najwan said Selangor has lowered SUKMA and Para SUKMA hosting expenditure from an estimated RM203 million to about RM50 million through cost-saving measures, and supplemented coffers with nearly RM8 million in sponsorships.
