PETALING JAYA: Selangor has offered to be the main host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG) should Malaysia make a bid for the quadrennial sporting event, Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said today.
He said he believed that one of its cities, the state capital Shah Alam being the most likely, had the capacity and ability to host the games.
“After Kuala Lumpur became the host in 1998, Selangor also has ambitions of becoming a host for CWG in 2026.
“It is a continuous exploration and work from us and with other agencies too, and we will start with Sukma 2022,” he said after launching the inaugural 2019 Selangor International Sports Summit here today.
The state government recently offered to host the 2022 Malaysia Games and is optimistic of its chances, after having last hosted the biennial games in 1998.
Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Datuk Seri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said he supported Amirudin’s idea.
“For OCM, we will see how we can assist Selangor in fulfilling those dreams and hopes,” he said.
For the record, in February last year, former OCM president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja’afar said Malaysia was not ready to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games as it had become relatively expensive for many countries.
He had previously said that Malaysia was capable of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but it depended on whether there was political will to organise it again.
Malaysia hosted the Commonwealth Games for the first time in 1998. - Bernama