Selangor youth, sports and entrepreneurship committee chairman Najwan Halimi said the cost-cutting measures are being implemented due to the current economic conditions and a call by Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah for the tournament to be organised prudently.

“We are trying to reduce the Selangor government’s original allocation of RM100 million by half,” said Najwan, who also chairs the 2026 Selangor Sukma and 2026 Selangor Para Sukma organising committee.

“So it (Sukma 2026) will likely cost around RM40 million to RM50 million,” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya, as reported by Berita Harian.

He explained that the cuts would mainly involve the opening and closing ceremonies, which will be held on a more modest scale.

Najwan said initial plans to hold the opening ceremony at the Sepang International Circuit had been scrapped and a more cost-effective venue would be announced later.

He stressed that the budget cuts would not affect the technical aspects of the competitions or the overall quality of the events.

He also clarified that no new infrastructure would be built. Instead, existing facilities, such as stadiums and aquatic centres, would be upgraded to ensure continued use after the games.

The cost-saving measures will also include reducing the number of volunteers from more than 30,000 to fewer than 5,000, although their allowances will remain unchanged.

Sultan Sharafuddin, who initially suggested that the state postpone hosting this year’s Sukma due to the conflict in the Middle East, has since agreed for the competition to proceed from Aug 15 to 24, with cost-saving measures and prudent spending in place.

In a Facebook post yesterday, the Selangor Royal Office said Sultan Sharafuddin was satisfied with the organisers’ efforts to reduce expenditure in line with the current economic climate.

It said the sultan emphasised that all spending for this year’s games must be restricted to essential matters, with a focus on sports development and young athletes at the local level.