KUCHING: The 2027 South East Asian (SEA) Games will see Sarawak play a major role as a co-host, with the full commitment of the Sarawak and Federal Governments to ensure that the biennial games are organised smoothly and with prestige.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Sarawak is very serious about ensuring that every aspect of the preparations—including facilities, infrastructure and organisation—is at the highest level.

“Contractors involved in the sports facility upgrade works have been given a period of at least three months to complete the projects before the start of the games to enable field tests and pre-tournament events to be carried out,” he said.

He said this during a press conference after receiving a courtesy call from the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Malaysia, Mordi Bimol, at the Baitulmakmur Building on Friday.

Commenting on the cost of organising the games, Dato Sri Abdul Karim revealed that the total estimate is around RM700 million, shared equally between the Federal Government and the Sarawak Government.

“RM350 million is borne by the Federal Government and RM350 million by the Sarawak Government specifically for the cost of organisation, not including infrastructure expenses borne by the state,” he explained.

According to him, the official commitment was signed by him personally through a deed of guarantee after receiving a mandate from Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg, to be presented at the Federal level.

He stressed that with careful planning and strong commitment from all parties, Sarawak is confident of being able to make the 2027 SEA Games the best ever organised in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Mordi Bimol assured that the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) will provide full support to Sarawak in technical aspects and coordination at the Federal level.

“We will continue to assist and ensure close cooperation between the state and Federal governments for the success of the 2027 SEA Games,” he said.

Explaining further, the Chief Executive Officer of the 2027 SEA Games Organising Secretariat, Dato Abdul Rashid Yaakob, said that out of the total 38 sports being contested, around eight to 10 will be selected for initial test sessions in Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

He noted that several international tournaments will be organised as warm-up events to test the readiness of the venues and technical systems, including digital displays and lighting.

“This is normal practice for organising major games to ensure that all technical, operational and logistical aspects run smoothly,” he said. -UKASnews

Prepared By: Lonney Jinab Doris
Photo: Shahril
Translator: Ryan Lim