KUALA LUMPUR – Artistic swimming will not feature at Sukma 2026 after failing to meet the minimum participation requirement from states, prompting organisers to reduce the total number of medal events from 474 to 469.
Selangor Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurship Committee chairman Mohd Najwan Halimi said the decision was made during a recent Sukma Special Supreme Committee meeting ahead of the national biennial Games, scheduled from August 15 to 24.
“We decided on this during the recent supreme committee meeting. Under the competition regulations, an event must attract participation from at least six states to remain on the programme.
“Unfortunately, artistic swimming did not receive enough entries from the states. After considering the matter in detail, the supreme committee agreed that the event could no longer be contested as it did not fulfil the minimum participation requirement,” he said when contacted.
Despite the cut, the chairman of the 22nd Sukma and Para Sukma Selangor 2026 organising committee confirmed the Games would still include 37 sports as planned, with the dates and 52 competition venues unchanged.
Najwan added that the Selangor government would implement significant cost-cutting measures, reducing the original hosting budget of RM100 million to between RM40 million and RM50 million.
“We are taking a more prudent approach in organising the Games. The focus is to ensure SUKMA can still be conducted smoothly and successfully without unnecessary spending.
“This means we will prioritise existing facilities, optimise available resources and avoid any form of excessive expenditure while still preserving the spirit and competitiveness of the Games,” he said.
The opening ceremony, originally slated for the Sepang International Circuit, will now be relocated to a smaller venue yet to be finalised. Other cost-saving measures include scaling down the volunteer programme from an initial target of 30,000 people to fewer than 5,000, while all existing sports facilities will be fully utilised without constructing new infrastructure.
“We will soon hold further organising committee meetings involving government departments and agencies so that a collective decision can be reached on the implementation details in the near future,” Najwan added.
Earlier, Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had suggested postponing Sukma Selangor until the West Asia crisis subsides and the redevelopment of Shah Alam Stadium is complete. However, the Sultan later agreed to proceed with the Games in a modest and prudent manner after granting an audience to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. – May 10, 2026