KUALA LUMPUR: The Commonwealth Games 2026 should be hosted in states with existing facilities and not be focused solely in Kuala Lumpur, should Malaysia accept the offer to host the Games, Senator Datuk Hisamudin Yahaya said at the Dewan Rakyat today.
He added that such a move would utilise existing facilities without the need for large expenditure to build new stadiums and sports centres and the government could limit the number of sport events at the Games, instead of rejecting the offer to host the Games by the Commonwealth Games Federations.
“If we reject this opportunity, our country will lose. To me, we can accept but we limit the number of events. That we don’t take all the events in Victoria.
“To save the Commonwealth Games, we need to have spirit as we are a Commonwealth country and I’m convinced if out of 21 events, we could organise 18 events to ensure the Games are hosted in Malaysia with existing facilities,” he said while interjecting a suggestion by Senator A Kesavadas to reject the offer to host the games due to uncertain economic conditions during the debate on the royal address in Dewan Negara today.
Kesavadas had said that the organisers of the 2022 Birmingham Games in United Kingdom still suffered losses of RM4.6 billion and urged the Youth and Sports Ministry not to host the Games.
Local media outlets reported today that Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh announced that her ministry was considering the idea of being joint hosts with Singapore for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Malaysia hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and has been offered the chance to host the 2026 edition, with the CGF offering the country an injection of 100 million pounds (RM602 million), after hosts Victoria, Australia withdrew. -Bernama