SHAH ALAM, Aug 8 — The state government aims to prove that it can successfully host the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) despite operating with a limited budget, said state executive councillor for youth, sports, and entrepreneurship Mohd Najwan Halimi.
Selangor had resolved the allocation issue using existing funds, keeping expenditure for the games below RM50 million.
“We are moving forward and want to focus fully on preparations to host SUKMA.
“I consider the allocation issue that was discussed earlier to have been resolved through the existing allocation, which is less than RM50 million,” he told the media after the official rebranding ceremony of the Aquatic Selangor Sport Centre today.
Najwan added that the state government will prove that financial constraints would not prevent it from delivering a successful SUKMA and create a positive experience for participating athletes.
The previous discussion on funding was not intended to suggest that Selangor lacked the financial capacity to host the biennial Games, but to highlight the need to review the funding model for future editions.
“Although we are operating within a very limited budget, we want to prove that we are capable of being a good host, and we want this SUKMA to leave beautiful memories for the athletes, in particular.
“I think we need to move forward. We want to ensure that everything succeeds and that our children and athletes, whether from Selangor or other states, can showcase their performance and talent,” he said.
The estimated allocation for the 2026 SUKMA and Para SUKMA was slashed from more than RM203 million to RM50 million following the increasingly volatile economy due to the global energy crisis.
Meanwhile, Najwan noted that the state also wanted to develop athletes to a higher level so they could eventually represent Malaysia at more prestigious international sporting events.
He emphasised that SUKMA is a national sporting event rather than a state-based competition, and called for greater federal government support for states entrusted with hosting future editions.
“We hope that for other states including the next host, Kelantan, in the future, there will be support and cooperation from the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) and the national sports authorities to help ensure the smooth organisation of events that are national in nature,” Najwan said.
Previously, the councillor said he wrote a formal letter to the former and the current Youth and Sports Minister to request for 2026 SUKMA allocation, but there was no response from the former minister while the current one replied that no allocation will be provided.
He clarified that Selangor was confirmed as the host of the 2026 SUKMA in 2024, after which the state began seeking federal financial assistance.
In May, KBS confirmed via an official letter that no direct monetary funds will be channelled to Selangor for the 2026 games, in line with federal cost-cutting measures.
Sports can be developed based on strengths, facilities
Meanwhile, on the ‘One Council, One Sport’ initiative under the Second Selangor Plan (RS-2), which gives local authorities a greater role in sports development according to the strengths and facilities available in their respective areas he said it is being discussed with the state Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) to realign sports development across Selangor.
A similar approach could be adopted in other areas, with each local authority identifying sports that could be developed based on its existing strengths and facilities.
“For example, Kuala Selangor has very good facilities for petanque, so we can turn it into a ‘mentor’ local authority, allowing it to focus on the development of petanque.
“We want to ensure that every local authority also plays a role in supporting the state’s sports development agenda,” Najwan said.
The responsibility for sports development was previously placed mainly on sports associations, but Selangor now wants local authorities and state-owned companies to contribute more actively.
“Previously, we placed that responsibility solely on the sports associations. But going forward, we want to ensure that agencies under the local authorities and state-owned companies also play a role in helping the state government develop sports activities in Selangor,” he said.
During the tabling of RS-2 at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly sitting yesterday, Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari announced that the state government will build on the SUKMA momentum with the one council, one sport approach to encourage healthy lifestyles among Selangoreans.
He said that doing so will formalise community sports development at the local authority level and strengthen the grassroots ecosystem in an integrated manner.
