SEA Games preparations aim to leave lasting impact

KUCHING: Sarawak’s SEA Games preparations are aimed at leaving a lasting sporting legacy, with improved facilities, experienced officials and stronger sports associations expected beyond 2027.

Deputy Sarawak Secretary (Operations) Datuk Hii Chang Kee said the Games should create an impact that extends well beyond the closing ceremony.

He said the experience gained from hosting the 2027 SEA Games would strengthen Sarawak’s sporting ecosystem and help the state prepare to bid for even bigger sporting events in the future.

“As we prepare for SEA Games, we must also remind ourselves that the responsibility is not simply to be the host of an international sporting event, but more importantly, it is about the impact that the Games will create and how the Games will have long-term impact on Malaysia and Sarawak,” he said.

In his address at the SEA Games 2027 launch at The Spring here on Friday (Sept 18), Hii said the legacy could include improved sports facilities, citing the renovation of Stadium Sarawak for the opening ceremony as one example.

“We will have better sports facilities like Stadium Sarawak, just renovated for the opening ceremony. We will have a stronger sports association after this experience,” he said.

He added that the Games would also provide valuable experience for officials, volunteers and technical personnel involved in delivering the event.

“We will have more experienced officials, volunteers, technical people after the Games. So, that is the legacy we want SEA Games to leave behind for Malaysia, for Sarawak, to bid for even bigger events after this,” he said.

Hii, who is also the Local Organising Committee (LOC) Sarawak Cluster Chairman, said a SEA Games torch run would be held in the lead-up to the Games, travelling from Limbang through all divisions in Sarawak before ending in Kuching in September 2027.

“It’s more than a ceremonial journey. The torch run will serve as a symbol of how united Sarawak is, how proud we are, and we want to have a shared ownership,” he said.

Hii said the event should be viewed as an occasion for all Sarawakians, rather than solely a government programme, as the state moves towards hosting the Games.

“As we begin this one-year countdown, let us move forward together with one shared purpose: not only to deliver a successful game, but again as I said, to create a Games with lasting impact that will be felt long after even the last medal was given away,” he said.

Sarawak will host 18 of the 43 sports, covering an estimated 281 of the 480 events at the 2027 SEA Games.