Poor communication, flawed strategy obvious as Malaysia says ‘no’ to hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games
Malaysia has decided it will not host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Yet, the weeks-long episode that invited debate, and even saw the creation of the #TolakKomanwel hashtag on social media – the only sphere loved by certain politicians – must have come as a sucker punch to the gut to the so-called decision makers.
What some thought could have been an opportunity to “stand in the eyes of the world” and earn some global mileage was flushed down the toilet when calmer heads – calling for focus to instead go to more pressing issues like the rising cost of living, dilapidated public schools and hospitals, and the weak ringgit, among others – prevailed.
A statement by the Youth and Sports Ministry this afternoon said that the Malaysian government would not accept the offer by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. This was decided during a Cabinet meeting today.
The statement also revealed that a CGF delegation met the Youth and Sports Minister and the Finance Minister II on Feb 5 to explain the invitation to host the Games. The outcome of the meeting with CGF was presented to the Cabinet, and it was highlighted, among others, that the £100 million (RM603 million) was insufficient to cover the cost of hosting such a large-scale event.
“The economic impact cannot be identified in such a short time,” the statement added.
The episode has been marred by poor communication and strategy, mainly by the Youth and Sports Ministry. There was no mention of CGF’s visit to Malaysia last month – either from the ministry or the Olympic Council of Malaysia – prior to today’s statement. It would be naive for anyone to think that such an information could be kept secret among the exclusive few.
And when things came out in the open, inviting heated discussions and debates, certain quarters drew a comparison with Malaysia hosting concerts by foreign artists. Apples and oranges, or in the Malaysian context, durians and bananas.
In fact, Sports Commissioner Suhardi Alias was hauled up for speaking out against Malaysia hosting the Games. So, will he now receive an apology, or perhaps an award, for having the courage to make a stand?
What is extremely unfortunate is the time that was wasted on preparing the ‘kertas kerja’ (paper work) for something the stakeholders should have said ‘No’ to from Day 1. Two years would have been a rushed job and the argument of a downsized Games was just ridiculous.
Certain quarters, who are obsessed with optics and optics alone, would probably try to craft the narrative that the decision to not accept the offer to host the Games was because “We listened to the rakyat, we care for the rakyat”. Well, that’s not going to work.
History will show that the powers-that-be, despite the challenges faced in the country and globally, had the audacity to even consider ‘rescuing’ a multisport event that had lost its lustre, and whose relevance is becoming increasingly hard to justify.
Better to consider hosting the Asian Games in 2038, with enough time to study, provide justification, and plan for something that will take place in six years (if Malaysia wins the bid in 2032), instead of just 24 months.
Will this serve as a lesson for the Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and her ministry? That remains to be seen.
What’s certain is that this episode has been nothing short of a PR disaster, and a complete waste of time.
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