Sukma: Negeri Sembilan will audit its sports development ecosystem following a disappointing outing at the Selangor Malaysia Games (SUKMA) 2026 as the first step in overhauling the current system. State Youth and Sports Development Committee chairman Datuk Mustapha Nagoor said the audit aims to identify weaknesses in the current structure and approach before the state redesigns the system to ensure continuous development for athletes and coaches.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the audit is part of three planned reforms, namely reset, rebuild, and rise. "We will evaluate weaknesses and redesign a better sports system and ecosystem for the state, shaping it for the next 10 years before rising together to rebuild our athlete and coaching pipelines," he told reporters at Wisma Negeri, here today.

He added that the state will consult experts before presenting short, medium, and long-term sports development plans to the government. Mustapha said that athlete development, particularly in high-performance sports, cannot be achieved in a short period. It demands continuous planning and a structured development system for backup athletes.

"Developing back-up athletes is not a short-term affair, not six months, not a year. It is a long-term process, which is why we must re-examine this entire ecosystem and its development patterns," he said. Negeri Sembilan's gold medal count fell from 19 at SUKMA 2024 to seven this year, with the total medal tally dropping from 56 to 48.

Mustapha said the drop in medals should be a wake-up call for the state to fix its flaws rather than assign blame. "We could choose to be disappointed and lay blame left and right, but to me, this is a turning point or a wake-up call for us to rise and identify our weaknesses so we can improve starting now," he said.

He said the state may establish a special board or committee of experts to plan long-term sports development plans, while the State Sports Council (MSN) will continue to handle execution.