KUALA LUMPUR — Sabah Finance Minister Masidi Manjun has refuted claims that the state government has committed to hosting the 2027 SEA Games.
In a statement on social media today, Masidi clarified that Sabah is not ready to co-host the event due to the need for upgrades to the state’s sports facilities.
“A Sabah cabinet meeting today confirmed that there was no financial commitment made to host the sporting event.
“Currently, Sabah is not ready to organise the event because our sports infrastructure is inadequate,” Masidi said on X.
Previously, on August 29, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said that Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, and Kuala Lumpur had agreed to jointly host the 2027 SEA Games.
According to the Segambut MP, the states involved had agreed to share the estimated RM700 million cost of organising the event.
Hannah added that Sarawak would bear the largest share at over RM300 million, while Sabah was expected to contribute RM100 million and Penang RM15 million.
Other states, Hannah explained, had expressed interest in hosting the Games, but did not commit to sharing the costs.
“We have sent a letter to the state leadership inviting them to co-host. After the reminder on sharing cost was given, only three states responded with a commitment to bear the cost.
“Some states are interested but they are not ready to provide allocations,” Hannah said previously. — September 5, 2024