SEA Games 2027: KBS Holds Engagement Session to Assess Financial Impact on the Country

PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) will hold an engagement session with all stakeholders to assess the financial impact on the country regarding the hosting of the 2027 SEA Games.

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh, stated that the engagement session also aims to determine whether there is interest from other states to co-host alongside Putrajaya.

“We will hold the first engagement session next week on June 6th and will provide further updates later.

“From the engagement session with potential sponsors, I will bring back the feedback to the cabinet before a decision is made on whether to proceed or not,” she said after officiating the launch of the Sports Satellite Account at the KBS Tower here today.

At the same time, Hannah mentioned that currently only Sarawak has expressed interest in hosting the 2027 SEA Games.

However, she said KBS must be fair to other states by first presenting and discussing with them before any decision is made.

In addition, Hannah expects the expenditure to host the 2027 SEA Games to exceed RM700 million.

“This (RM700 million) is based on the expenditure for the 2017 SEA Games, but now it’s 2024, so the cost is likely to increase, which is why we need to engage with all parties,” she said.

At the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) Council Meeting in May 2022, it was unanimously agreed to award the hosting rights of the 2027 SEA Games to Malaysia following Brunei’s withdrawal, while Thailand and Singapore were respectively granted the hosting rights for the 2025 and 2029 editions.

The 2027 SEA Games will mark Malaysia’s seventh time hosting the biennial event, having previously hosted it in 1965, 1971, 1977, 1989, 2001, and 2017.