Kuala lumpur: Malaysia will send a 1,688-strong contingent, including 1,166 athletes, to the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, marking the country’s largest-ever representation at the biennial Games. Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim made this announcement, emphasizing the significance of this participation.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the 33rd edition of the Games will feature 50 sports and 573 events, with Malaysia participating in 458 of them. The Games will be held in Bangkok, Chonburi, and Songkhla from December 9 to 20. Adam Adli highlighted that this contingent surpasses the 641-strong team sent to the 2015 Singapore SEA Games. This information was shared during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat, in response to a query from Datuk Shamshulkahar Mohd Deli (BN-Jempol) about Malaysia’s preparations, including athlete and coach numbers, medal targets, and success indicators.
The Deputy Minister further elaborated that the athlete selection was conducted by a committee led by Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria. The selection criteria were based on the top three rankings in Southeast Asia (Category A) and the top six rankings (Category B). Preparations for the national contingent began early this year, with the overall medal target to be finalized on November 29.
For the 2025 ASEAN Para Games scheduled for January 20-26, 2026, Malaysia plans to send 238 athletes and 120 officials, marking another record participation for the country. In response to a supplementary question from Shamshulkahar regarding the Road to Gold (RTG) Programme, Adam Adli confirmed that 12 RTG athletes will participate in Thailand. These athletes, from badminton, weightlifting, and archery, will use the opportunity for preparation and exposure to international competitions.
Addressing a question from Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (PN-Alor Setar) about national sport climbing ace Mohd Izzat Mohd Shokor funding his own training and participation, Adam Adli explained that Mohd Izzat falls under category C. Athletes in this category do not receive initial government allocations. Funding is provided only to athletes under categories A and B by the National Sports Council (NSC), while those in Category C must bear their own costs.