THE Penang government is advocating for the formation of a special committee by the Youth and Sports Ministry to further discuss preparations for the 2027 SEA Games.
State Youth, Sports, and Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen said the committee should include the National Sports Council (NSC), states that have agreed to co-host the 2027 SEA Games, and other relevant stakeholders.
“This is crucial to determine the types of sports that will be contested in each participating state, namely Penang, Sarawak, and Kuala Lumpur.
“Once these matters are finalised, early preparations can be made to ensure the smooth execution of the 2027 SEA Games,” Gooi said during a press conference yesterday (Oct 23), following his visit to the Penang Table Tennis Association (PTTA) at Gat Lebuh Macallum.
Gooi added that he has been approached by several national sports associations interested in providing technical cooperation and financial assistance to facilitate the organisation of sports events in Penang.
“However, we are still in the discussion phase. It’s too early to make any decisions until the special committee is formed by the Youth and Sports Ministry. Once everything is finalised, we’ll have a clearer picture of the number of events Penang will host during the 2027 SEA Games,” Gooi said.
The estimated cost of organising the 2027 SEA Games is RM700 million. The last time Malaysia hosted the SEA Games was in 2017 when the event in Kuala Lumpur cost around RM608 million.
To ease the financial burden on the Federal Government, the Youth and Sports Ministry has opted for a decentralised model for the 2027 SEA Games, allowing the costs to be shared among participating states and corporate sponsors.
Gooi further announced that Penang has allocated RM15 million for the 2027 SEA Games, though this amount could increase with contributions from corporate sponsors within the state.
Earlier, Gooi presented the state flag to the table tennis athletes who will represent Penang at the 35th MILO Malaysia Hopes Table Tennis Championships 2024, which will be held in Labuan from Oct 28 to Nov 1. He encouraged the athletes to do their best in the competition.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat