KUALA LUMPUR – National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail has openly laid out the selection criteria for the 2024 Malaysian Games (Sukma).
In a statement, Shapawi said out of the 103 sports registered under the Sports Development Act 1997, only a portion would be contested at Sukma to ensure the games are held smoothly while taking into account the host’s logistical ability.
He said the 28 sports that were selected for Sukma next year were based on several criteria, with the first being an Olympic sport that national athletes could qualify for on merit based on the past three editions of the games.
The second criterion involved events that are competed in the Olympics and either the Asian or Commonwealth Games where athletes were medal contenders, which includes sports such as hockey, judo, and ping pong.
The third was reserved for non-Olympic sports that were potential medal winners at the Asian or Commonwealth Games, including karate, squash, tenpin bowling, and wushu.
Shapawi said sports would be included under the second and third criteria after considering their medal potential during the last two editions of the Asian Games and past three editions of the Commonwealth Games.
The last criterion for events at Sukma were popular sports that are competed at the School Sports Council level and where the sport’s infrastructure already exists in schools and government premises, namely sports such as football, basketball, volleyball, and tennis.
As the hosts of the next Sukma, Sarawak had also chosen boxing, Muay Thai, esports, and petanque for next year.
For the remaining 75 sports not included in next year’s games, Shapawi said those sports can still registered for the games starting from the 2026 Sukma.
“It is in line with the Sukma Supreme Committee’s order for the NSC to hold a follow-up workshop with the stakeholders to re-evaluate the number of sports included in the next Sukma.
“This explanation is to emphasise that the selection of Sukma sports is done openly through engagement with every stakeholder at the central and state levels without prejudice to any type of sport,” Shapawi said.
This clarification comes in response to Kabaddi Association of Malaysia honorary secretary Peter Gopi questioning why the sport was sidelined for the upcoming 2024 Sukma in Sarawak.
In a video, Peter claimed that he had previously spoken to former youth and sports minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu and former ministry secretary-general Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayam on the addition of kabaddi and silambam into the Sukma medal tally.
Peter said this discussion happened during the 2022 Sukma, where both kabaddi and silambam were included as demonstration sports.
“But what has happened now during the Sukma Supreme Committee meeting on March 16 chaired by minister Hannah Yeoh is that kabaddi and silamban will not be included at the Sukma in Sarawak next year.
“We were not told or notified about anything, leaving all our players and coaches confused as they have been training in preparation,” he said in the video.
He added that kabaddi is a sport that is competed at the Asian Games, yet is still not included for contest at the Sukma level.
However, the Malaysian kabaddi team has never made it into the final stages of the Asian Games. Their last run at the 2018 edition in Indonesia ended in the group stage, and the previous games in South Korea saw them end in fifth. – The Vibes, March 25, 2023
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