KUALA LUMPUR – National Sports Council director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail slammed irresponsible parties who made false claims that Kelantan was denied the right to host the 2024 Malaysian Games (Sukma), which went viral on social media.
In a statement, he said such actions are irresponsible, as they deviate from the reality and commitment of the Sukma supreme committee to ensure that all states have the opportunity to host the biennial Games.
“Kelantan is the only state that has never hosted Sukma. The decision for Kelantan to host the 2028 edition is to give the state government additional time to prepare the sports infrastructure for the event.
“It was decided during a meeting on March 16 between me and the Kelantan youth, sports, and non-governmental organisation committee chairman Roslan Wan Mahat and approved by the Sukma supreme committee,” read the statement.
It was understood that Kelantan was initially selected to host the 2012 Games, but due to a lack of sports facilities, the responsibility was given to Pahang.
Meanwhile, Shapawi said Johor has informed that it will be unable to host Sukma any time soon, as it needs time to recover from the pandemic. – The Vibes, March 17, 2023
