KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- With the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Scotland, having concluded recently, Malaysian sports fans now turn their attention to the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in Selangor from Aug 15 to 24.
More than 5,000 athletes will compete for 468 gold medals across 37 sports, as SUKMA continues to play its role in unearthing and nurturing young talents who could become the country's future sporting stars.
As hosts, Selangor not only have the home advantage but will also be hoping that the strong support of their fans can inspire the athletes to deliver success and secure the overall title.
Targeting at least 80 gold medals across all the sports they are competing in, their challenge will be spearheaded by a 1,029-member contingent comprising 838 athletes and 191 officials.
However, the hosts cannot afford to underestimate four-time champions Sarawak, who are aiming to retain the title they won when they hosted the Games in the previous edition, with a target of 75 gold medals.
The two-time champions, the Federal Territories, are also expected to mount a strong challenge for a top-three finish, with the contingent targeting 180 medals of any colour.
Meanwhile, SUKMA 2026 is set to showcase some of the country's future sporting stars, including 2025 SEA Games in Thailand men's 100m bronze medallist Danish Iftikhar Muhammad Roslee, who will be one of Johor's main medal hopes in the blue-riband event.
Terengganu's Mohamad Armin Zahryl Abd Latif is the leading contender in the men's 110m hurdles after finishing fourth at the Asian Under-23 Athletics Championships in China last month.
More impressively, Mohamad Armin, who also won the Singapore Open in April, created a sensation by breaking the 13.67-second national record set by Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian in 2017, clocking 13.63s in the first round of the same competition.
In tenpin bowling, Sarawak's Ethan Damien Goh and Selangor's Muhammad Aiman Syahin Sulaiman are their respective state contingents' hopes of winning gold.
They were members of the national team that clinched gold in the mixed team event at the 2026 World Youth Bowling Championships in Kuching last month.
Goh Li Hen's gold medal in the men's 200m butterfly at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago gives Selangor hope of winning the event, while Penang track cyclist Nur Umairah Qhaisara Zulfikha Razak will be looking to make her mark after climbing to third in the world junior women’s sprint rankings.
With preparations well in place, the answers will come on the field of competition, including whether SUKMA Selangor 2026 can unearth new stars capable of carrying the country's sporting hopes on the national and international stage.
-- BERNAMA