KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia has expressed an interest in hosting the 34th SEA Games in 2027, said Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Mohamad Norza Zakaria.
He said this was after the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) contacted OCM regarding the possibility of hosting the Games following the withdrawal of Brunei, which was supposed to host the 2027 edition.
“The meeting (today) agreed to submit an expression of interest to SEAGC while the OCM would forward this information to the government and further discussions will be held in due time.
“In the spirit of friendship with SEAGF, I think most likely we have a good chance to secure that (hosting rights),” he told a media conference after chairing the third OCM executive board meeting for the 2021/2025 session here today.
However, he said that OCM would look into the country’s financial capability, apart from the COVID-19 pandemic issue, before deciding to host the SEA Games.
Asked if the 34th SEA Games would be a platform for Malaysia to prepare to host the 2038 Asian Games, he felt that two factors – facilities and the active level of sports or athletes – must be taken into account before the country could express an interest in hosting the Asiad.
Malaysia had previously organised the SEA Games six times, namely in 1965, 1971, 1977, 1989, 2001 and 2017 but has never hosted the Asiad.
The Thai capital of Bangkok will host the 33rd edition of the SEA Games in 2025.
— NNN-BERNAMA