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Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Ministry of Youth and Sports will hold further discussions with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) regarding the proposed joint organisation of the 2027 SEA Games.

Sabah Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ellron Angin said in that regard he will hold a meeting with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh as soon as possible to discuss and obtain more detailed information on the matter.

“The results of the discussion and the detailed information obtained will be brought and presented to the Cabinet (Sabah government) for further consideration.

“It (the co-organiser’s proposal) needs the approval of the Cabinet and we (the Cabinet) agreed to examine and consider the proposal,” he said when contacted here on Friday.

He said the Sabah government welcomes the federal government’s desire to organise the 2027 SEA Games and is ready to cooperate to ensure the organisation of the Games runs smoothly.

On Thursday, Hannah was reported to have said that preparations for organising the 2027 SEA Games are not affected even though Sabah decided to reconsider the proposal to co-host the biennial games.

Hannah stated that the National Sports Council (NSC) is continuing its preparations for the event, bolstered by strong commitments from Sarawak and Penang to co-host the SEA Games.

Hannah said that she had responded to the recent decision made by Sabah’s state Cabinet and respected their choice regarding the SEA Games 2027 hosting arrangements.

“We respect Sabah’s decision... The NSC will proceed with the preparations for the SEA Games 2027 as we have received approval from the Federal Cabinet,” she told reporters in Paris after witnessing national para swimmer Muhammad Nur Syaiful Zulkafli place seventh in the men’s 50m freestyle S5 (physical impairment) final at the Paris La Defense Arena during the Paralympic Games.

Last week, Hannah announced that three states — Sarawak, Sabah, and Penang — had agreed to co-host the SEA Games 2027 alongside Kuala Lumpur, with an estimated budget of RM700 million.

However, media reports on Wednesday quoted Sabah Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun as saying that the State government had not made any financial commitments regarding the SEA Games 2027 and was reconsidering its role as a co-host.