Melaka: Sixty-six Melaka athletes from 19 sports have been absorbed into Project Emas, a special preparation project for the state's contingent to the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in Selangor.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Melaka Youth, Sports and Non-governmental Organisation Committee chairman Datuk VP Shanmugam stated that the project would focus on athletes with high potential of contributing medals, especially gold medals, at the 2026 SUKMA. "The athletes taken in are medal contributors in the previous SUKMA in Sarawak. The project is the state's strategy to ensure athletes with potential are ready and can continue to contribute medals and receive full support for their performance," he said.

The project, which began on August 1, includes athletes from sports such as wushu, badminton, aquatics (swimming), petanque, boxing, cycling, athletics, pencak silat, squash, sepak takraw, weightlifting, muay thai, judo, table tennis, chess, tenpin bowling, and basketball.

The phased planning and continuous support will serve as the best platform for the Melaka contingent to form a more competitive team capable of repeating its excellent success at 2026 SUKMA.