Moving away from 'village champion' mentality is also our wish, says Yeoh
KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has made it clear she is on the same page as Tan Sri Norza Zakaria when it comes to selection of sports for the 2027 Malaysia Sea Games.
The Youth and Sports Minister said she expects to see Olympic sports making up the majority of events when Malaysia hosts the games, which is expected to be spread across Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Johor Bahru and Penang in 2027.
"I have heard the views of Tan Sri Norza who has urged us to avoid having a 'village champion' mentality (when hosting Sea Games) and remain grounded in reality. This is also our wish," said Yeoh today (April 21).
"What he said about our medal tally from the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games compared to editions after that has truth to it and is rational. This will all be discussed by the 2027 Sea Games Organising Committee with the National Sports Council (NSC) director-general.
"From what I have been told, we have an understanding with Thailand and Singapore (in regards to hosting the Sea Games) where the base of events included (in games held in these three countries) will be from Olympic sports.
"Whether we decide to include additional events on top of that depends on whether we have the budget to include them. This is because the 2027 Sea Games will be spread across four cities."
Thailand will host this year's Sea Games in December while Singapore is set to host the 2029 edition.
Yeoh added that a chief executive officer to oversee preparations for the 2027 Sea Games will be appointed soon.
She was speaking during the Youth and Sports Ministry's Hari Raya Open House event at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil today (April 21).
Norza, who is the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president, recently said Malaysia must shed its "village champion" mentality when hosting the Sea Games.
It is common for Sea Games hosts to include many events or sports that are favoured by their athletes, regardless of whether the sports are in the Olympic programme or not. This is to give the host country an advantage in the medal table.
Malaysia last hosted the Sea Games in 2017 and became overall champions by a country mile on a 145 gold, 92 silver and 86 bronze haul.
The contingent scored more than double the amount of gold won by regional heavyweights Thailand (72-86-88). Vietnam were third on 59-50-60.
Malaysia, however, went on to finish fifth overall at the 2019 Manila Sea Games, sixth at the 2021 Hanoi Sea Games and seventh at the 2023 Phnom Penh Sea Games, which was the country's lowest-ever placing in the history of the biennial games.
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