2027 SEA GAMES: PENANG IDENTIFIES VENUES FOR SIX SPORTS

GEORGE TOWN, Dec 6 (Bernama) -- Penang has identified several venues to be considered for six sports that will be contested at the 2027 SEA Games.

State Youth, Sports and Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi Si Zen said the Pearl of the Orient was fully prepared to be among the four main host states for the Games, scheduled to take place from Sept 18 to 29, 2027.

“Preparatory work had begun early on, but at that time we only knew we would be hosting one sport, namely snooker and billiards. However, the announcement by the Youth and Sports Minister (Hannah Yeoh) yesterday stated that six sports will be contested in Penang — sepak takraw, snooker and billiards, judo, boxing, table tennis and floorball.

“We have no issues identifying venues because most of these are indoor sports, and Penang has many suitable venues, including convention centres equipped with complete internal infrastructure, making it easier to host the events without having to build new sports facilities,” he said.

He said this when met by reporters after attending the Penang Athlete Career and Education (PACE) Incentive Presentation Ceremony and the Penang Government Sports Victory Incentive Scheme (SKIMAS) 2025 here today.

Commenting further, Gooi said the state government had allocated a special provision of RM15 million to ensure the smooth organisation of all events and to meet the required standards.

In addition, he said Penang faced no constraints in terms of accommodation as the state had an adequate network of hotels, including three-star and above, to accommodate athletes, technical officials and guests.

“We are also studying Thailand’s experience in hosting the SEA Games as a reference to refine operational and venue management aspects to prevent any shortcomings,” he said.

He said the state was also working closely with all national sports associations to ensure each contested sport met hosting standards, thereby boosting Malaysia’s image as the organiser of a prestigious sporting event.

Yesterday, Hannah announced that Malaysia would be hosting the SEA Games from Sept 18 to 29 in 2027, with four main clusters, namely Sarawak, Penang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur, involving 38 sports.

The 14th ASEAN Para Games are scheduled to take place from Oct 17 to 23, 2027 in Kuala Lumpur, featuring 18 sports including para swimming, para badminton, para cycling, boccia and wheelchair basketball.

-- BERNAMA