Sabah will reconsider proposal to co-host 2027 SEA Games

KOTA KINABALU (Sept 5): The state government will review and reconsider the proposal to become one of the co-hosts for the 2027 SEA Games.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ellron Angin said the decision was made unanimously on Wednesday during the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor.

He said the decision was reached after weighing and evaluating various aspects of becoming one of the hosts to the region’s top-tier multi-sport event.

“Regarding the initial proposal for Sabah to be one of the co-hosts for the 2027 SEA Games, it still requires approval from the Cabinet.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), we agreed that Sabah will review and reconsider the proposal,” Ellron said in a statement on Thursday.

He said the state Youth and Sports Ministry will hold further discussions with its federal counterpart to obtain more details on the co-hosting proposal.

“I will meet with the Minister of KBSM (Youth and Sports Ministry of Malaysia) as soon as possible to discuss and clarify this matter in detail.

“The results of the discussions and detailed information related to the hosting will be presented for consideration by the Sabah Cabinet,” he added.

Ellron also assured that the state government was all for the federal government’s intention to host SEA Games.

“Sabah will provide full support and cooperation to ensure the success of the 2027 SEA Games,” he said.

On Thursday, Finance Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the state government had never made any financial commitment to co-host the SEA Games in 2027.

He said the State Cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday emphasised that Sabah was not ready to co-host the games, citing inadequate sports facilities.

“Sports infrastructure in Sabah requires significant upgrades before we can consider becoming a co-host,” Masidi said in a post on X.

Last week, Federal Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh announced that Malaysia had accepted the offer to hold the 2027 SEA Games, with Penang, Sabah and Sarawak agreeing to co-host the event with Kuala Lumpur.

Yeoh then said the total cost was estimated at RM700 million and Sarawak has agreed to cover 50 per cent of the cost, while Sabah is offering RM100 million and Penang RM15 million.