KUALA LUMPUR: The National Sports Council (NSC) has stressed there is no issue if national sports associations field their top athletes at the Thailand SEA Games 2025 as Malaysia indeed intends to send its strongest contingent.
NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin said the move is also part of preparations for the 2027 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, when Malaysia will host the Games.
“In 2022 in Vietnam, we sent 52 per cent young athletes, then Cambodia was their second outing and now this will be their third. So, they already have experience competing at the SEA Games level.
“We will send the best. We try to be the best because we’re preparing for 2027,” he told reporters when met at NSC today.
He said the NSC had held several rounds of discussions with sports associations before the submission of the athletes’ list to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), which closed on Sept 1.
“Any association that has registered, I believe they have registered their best athletes. For example, badminton and bowling, which have World Championship titles just 10 days earlier, will also send their strongest teams to this SEA Games,” he said.
Commenting on medal targets, Jefri explained that Malaysia has a better chance compared to the 2023 Cambodia edition, which featured many local traditional sports.
“Don’t forget in Cambodia, the sports contested were traditional ones in which we had no strength or experience. But this time Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to contest Olympic and Asian-level sports.
“For example, squash, lawn bowls, and bowling will be contested. So we hope this will provide us with opportunities,” he said.
The Thailand SEA Games 2025 will be held from Dec 9 to 20. — BERNAMA
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
