The 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA), set to take place in Selangor, will see the introduction of four new sports — e-sports, chess, cricket, and kabaddi — according to Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh. Announcing the decision after chairing the SUKMA Supreme Council meeting today, she revealed that boxing and softball have also been designated as compulsory events starting from the 2026 edition.
“This decision raises the total number of mandatory sports to 30. With the four newly approved disciplines for SUKMA 2026, a total of 34 sports will be contested,” she said at a press conference after chairing the meeting today. She stressed that the decision is final, with no further appeals to be considered.
According to her, this approach will give the organisers ample time to make the necessary preparations for the Games, which will be held in Selangor from August 15 to 24, 2026.
The meeting also gave the green light for Brunei Darussalam to officially participate in SUKMA 2026, with the number of sports they will compete in to be decided later by a special technical committee. Meanwhile, the State Youth and Sports Exco meeting, held earlier the same day, agreed that starting from 2026, state participation in the Para SUKMA will be coordinated by state sports councils instead of the state youth and sports departments. This change is aimed at ensuring a more strategic and focused approach to preparing para-athletes.
Yeoh also emphasised the commitment to further promote women’s participation in sports, noting the shortage of female athletes and technical officials at SUKMA 2024 in Sarawak. She said that the meeting had agreed that, for every open event, it will be mandatory to include athletes of both genders.
“For Olympic sports, events will still be held and will not be dropped under previous SUKMA rules, even if the minimum requirement of participation from six states for women athletes is not met,” she explained.
Yeoh described this as a significant shift aimed at ensuring women’s sports continue to offer competitive opportunities, despite limited investment and funding from certain states.
In addition, each state contingent has been requested to appoint either a female head of contingent or deputy head, and to ensure that women make up at least 20 percent of support staff for secretariat and medical roles starting with SUKMA 2026.
“For the Selangor SUKMA, there will be a minimum of 30 percent female volunteers and 20 percent female technical officials for the tournaments,” she said, adding that she believes this will be a highly inclusive Games and many will be eager to see how it stands apart from previous editions.
Source: Malay Mail
