By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Aug 2: Sarawak will be part of history if it proceeds with co-hosting the SEA Games with Peninsular Malaysia in 2027.
Sarawak Minister of Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah mentioned that Sarawak has expressed its interest to co-host the SEA Games with Kuala Lumpur during Malaysia’s turn as host in 2027.
He further said it is normal for other countries to host the SEA Games in a non-capital city or have two cities co-host the games.
“Co-hosting the SEA Games is normal. It has been held in Palembang and not in Jakarta alone.
“In Malaysia, we have held the SEA Games six times, all in Kuala Lumpur.
“The 2027 SEA Games is probably the first time it (potentially) is held outside Kuala Lumpur,” he said when met by reporters after officiating the soft launch of cricket and rugby ground near Petra Jaya Sports Complex here today.
Since its inception in 1959, the SEA Games has been held 32 times, with the most recent one held in Phnom Penh City, Cambodia, last year.
Throughout its history, Palembang of Indonesia became the third non-capital host city in 2011, after Chiang Mai (1995) and Nakhon Ratchasima (2007), both in Thailand.
Additionally, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam made history when they recorded the first time that two cities co-hosted the games in 2003, followed by Palembang and Jakarta in 2011.
The Philippines also made remarkable records when it hosted the games in several cities for the 2005 and 2019 editions, followed by Vietnam in the 2021 edition and Cambodia in the 2023 edition.
Prior to Malaysia’s turn to host the SEA Games in 2027, it will be hosted by Thailand first next year, with Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Chonburi and Songkhla as their main host cities. — DayakDaily
