By DayakDaily Team
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29: The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) wants centralised competition venues to be in Kuching as Sarawak prepares to co-host the 2027 SEA Games.
OCM secretary-general Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Najib said they do not want the venues to be scattered like the recent Malaysia Games (Sukma) in August, which spanned nine divisions in Sarawak.
“Sarawak has proposed hosting the SEA Games opening ceremony and certain sports like diving.
“However, to ensure smooth coordination for participating nations, we prefer events to be clustered in one location rather than dispersed across regions,” he said as reported by Bernama.
He further said that priority would be given to Kuching for hosting responsibilities.
“However, for sports like sailing and track cycling, which require specific facilities, further deliberations will take place once the Malaysia SEA Games Organising Committee (MASOC) is established,” he added.
MASOC is expected to be formed by mid-2025 to ensure seamless preparations for Malaysia’s role as the host country after the SEA Games in Thailand, scheduled from Dec 9 to 20, 2025.
At the same time, Nazifuddin mentioned that the OCM has asked national sports associations to submit proposals to finalise the list of mandatory and additional sports for the SEA Games in Thailand and Malaysia.
He suggested holding the opening ceremony in Sarawak and the closing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur for balance.
Additionally, Penang have expressed interest in hosting snooker and billiards, while Johor aims to host football.
The SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) rules allow additional sports if at least four countries participate, and the final list must be shared with participants 15 months before the Games.
The dates for the 2027 SEA Games remain unconfirmed. – DayakDaily
