The Malaysia Games (Sukma) which is scheduled to take place in July will see continued promotional efforts and preparations despite the Covid-19 outbreak.

Johor youth, sports, culture and heritage committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said promotional programmes for Sukma were going smoothly.“Our ‘Road to Sukma’ programme started on Feb 9 and we have visited Perak and Kedah to promote the games.

He said the next stops are Penang and Perlis.

Mohd Khuzzan said the new date for Sukma’s pre-launch event called Semarak Juara Sukma, which was postponed earlier due to Covid-19, would be decided soon.

Also present at the launch were Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal and state secretary Datuk Azmi Rohani.

Meanwhile, Dr Sahruddin said sporting venues for Sukma would be completed by April.

“This includes all 39 venues in three districts in Johor, namely Johor Baru, Muar and Kota Tinggi.

“Almost all facilities and infrastructure provided for Sukma will be based on adaptation of technology and digital development concepts, ” he said.

Dr Sahruddin added that athletes would be competing in about 30 sporting events for Sukma.

Al-Ikhsan Sports has been granted exclusive rights to produce a wide range of official apparel and merchandise for Sukma XX Johor 2020.

The collaboration will see Al-Ikhsan Sports replicating its feat at the nation’s premier biennial multi-sport event, something it achieved in the previous edition hosted by Perak.

Dr Sahruddin welcomed the collaboration of local companies with the aim of making this year’s Sukma a success.

“The Johor government has always welcomed the participation of local companies who want to be part of Sukma Johor 2020 in ensuring the success of the biennial games which was last held here in 1992.

“The state government, through the Sukma Johor secretariat is hard at work conducting several promotional activities in their efforts to ensure hype for the games is being felt throughout the country, ” he added.

Al-Ikhsan Sports chief executive officer Vach Pillutla said, “As the number one sports retailer in Malaysia, serving more than 20 million sports enthusiasts, our core purpose has always been keeping Malaysia fit and active by making sports affordable for all.

“This partnership between Al-Ikhsan Sports and the Johor government is one of our initiatives to encourage Malaysians to be active in sports and live a healthy lifestyle, which is in line with our core purpose.”

The 39 competition venues which will be utilised for this edition include 28 events in Johor Baru, three in Muar and two in Kota Tinggi.

A total of 434 medals are up for grabs in 16 compulsory sports, 15 optional sports and one demonstration sport, silambam.

This edition will also provide the most comprehensive coverage with the introduction of digital platforms aimed at providing official information and latest results on the games, which will be accessible via www.sukmaxxjohor2020.my, official Facebook page – Sukma XX Johor 2020 and Instagram – @sukmaxxjohor2020.