By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Sept 18: More than 4,000 athletes and officials from 11 Southeast Asian countries participating in the 2027 SEA Games Sarawak Cluster will be accommodated in hotels rather than a dedicated sports village.
Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the arrangement was chosen to provide greater comfort and convenience for the athletes during the regional sporting event, which will be held from Sept 18 to 29 next year.
“The SEA Games is much bigger than the SUKMA Games. During SUKMA, we used university dormitories as a sports village to house athletes, but for the SEA Games, we will place them in selected hotels instead,” he told reporters after launching the One-Year Countdown to the 2027 SEA Games Sarawak Cluster at tHe Spring Shopping Mall here tonight.
Abdul Karim also expressed optimism that existing accommodation capacity was sufficient to cater for the large influx of visitors.
“The total number of athletes alone is expected to exceed 4,000, and when officials are included, the figure will increase by several thousand more. Our hotel capacity is adequate and able to accommodate them comfortably,” he said.
He noted that unlike previous sporting events, the SEA Games would not only focus on competition but would also offer a vibrant festival atmosphere around the Sarawak Sports Complex.
Abdul Karim, who is also the Minister of Tourism, Performing Art and Creative Industry, said the area surrounding the competition venues will feature attractions such as a Malaysian Kitchen, product exhibitions and sales booths, allowing local entrepreneurs to showcase Sarawak-made products and merchandise.
“It will be more than just sports. We want visitors to experience Sarawak’s culture, food and products while they are here,” he said.
On the number of Sarawak athletes who will represent Malaysia, Abdul Karim explained that they have not been finalised at this stage.
However, he is confident that Sarawakian athletes selected on merit by their respective sports associations would be part of the Malaysian contingent.
“Competing on home ground will give them strong support from family members and friends, but I also hope Sarawakians will come out and support all Malaysian athletes. We want Malaysia to emerge as the overall champion of the SEA Games, if possible,” he said. — DayakDaily
