KUALA LUMPUR — A new Malaysia Games (Sukma) sporting competition model is being considered to replace the current iteration to ensure consistency in the sports being contested.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the current Sukma iteration favours the organising states as they are allowed to decide and choose the types of sports that played to their home advantage.

“As you can see from every Sukma, the organising state is free to select the type of sports they want to include. What I am asking is, let’s not play up the race card when we talk about sports.

“This is the right of the respective organising state, so I have to be fair if they decide on the type of sports to be played,” she told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony of the Olympic House Malaysia at Stadium Bukit Jalil here.

Yeoh’s remark was in response to outcry from the exclusion of Indian martial arts silambam in Sukma 2026.

Yeoh said it will be tremendously difficult for an organising state to include all sports since there are a total of 103 sports gazetted under the Sports Development Act.

“We have begun discussion on a new Sukma model after the current cycle ends, whereby the Sukma supreme committee is considering either Putrajaya or the National Sports Council to take on the role of organising host [in 2030].

“So give us space to study to ensure there exists a continuity of pathways for athletes’ development [under the new model],” she said.

Sukma 2026 is scheduled for August 15 to 24 next year, with 34 sports being contested.