PUTRAJAYA, May 31 — The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will hold engagement sessions with all stakeholders to see the financial impact on the country regarding the organisation of the 2027 SEA Games.
Its minister Hannah Yeoh said the engagement sessions are also aimed at determining whether other states are interested in co-hosting with Putrajaya.
"We will hold the first session next week, June 6, and will inform you later.
[caption id="attachment_301284" align="alignright" width="386"]
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh delivers her speech during the Football Association of Malaysia's (FAM) thanksgiving reception for its president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, who was appointed to the FIFA Council, at FAM's Futsal Arena in Petaling Jaya, on February 7, 2023.[/caption]
"From the engagement session with all potential sponsors, I will bring the feedback to the Cabinet before a decision is made on whether to proceed or not," she said after the Sports Satellite Account launching ceremony at Menara KBS today.
For now, only Sarawak has expressed interest in hosting the 2027 SEA Games.
However, Yeoh said KBS needs to be fair to other states by first presenting and discussing the issue with them before making a decision.
In the meantime, she expects the expenses to organise the 2027 SEA Games to cost over RM700 million.
"This (RM700 million) is based on the expenses of the 2017 SEA Games, but now that it is 2024, the cost may increase, which is why we have to hold engagement sessions to listen to all parties," Yeoh said.
The SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) Council Members Meeting in May 2022 unanimously agreed to grant Malaysia the right to host the 2027 SEA Games following Brunei's withdrawal, while Thailand and Singapore were each given permission to host the games in 2025 and 2029.
The 2027 SEA Games will be Malaysia's seventh time hosting the biennial games, after hosting in 1965, 1971, 1977, 1989, 2001, and 2017.
— Bernama
