2006 Sukma Games

11th Sukma Games

Motto	Sukan Cemerlang, Negara Terbilang (Glory in sports, glorify the nation)
Teams participating	16
Events	370 in 27 sports
Opening ceremony	24 May 2006
Closing ceremony	4 June 2006
Main venue	Darul Aman Stadium, Alor Setar
Website	2006 Sukma Games
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The 2006 Sukma Games, officially known as the 11th Sukma Games was a multi-sport event held in Kota Setar, Padang Terap, Kubang Pasu, Pendang, Langkawi and Kuala Muda in Kedah from 24 May 2006 to 6 June 2006 with 370 in 31 sports and disciplines featured in the games.^[1]

This was Kedah's first time to host the Sukma Games. Kedah is the tenth state to host the Sukma Games after Federal Territory, Sarawak, Johor, Perak, Pahang, Selangor, Penang, Sabah and Negeri Sembilan, the fourth in the 21st century after Penang, Sabah and Negeri Sembilan and the third in Northern Malaysia after Perak and Penang.

The final medal tally was led by Selangor, followed by Pahang and Perak with host Kedah in sixth place. Several national and games records were broken during the games. Negeri Sembilan weightlifter Zulkifli Che Rose and Negeri Sembilan swimmer Lew Yih Wey were announced as Best Sportsman and Best Sportswoman of the games respectively. Though there were several controversies, the games were deemed generally successful with the rising standard of competition amongst the Malaysian states.

Organisation

Host city

This is the 11th edition of Sukma Games since its introduction in 1986. It was for the very first time the state held such a national sporting event. At that time, all states held their respective Sukma Games except for Kelantan, Terengganu, Malacca and Perlis.

Prior to this games, Kedah has yet to host any Sukma Games. As this is the first time the rice bowl of Malaysia held such a grand national sporting event, many of the sports venues and facilities were either completed in time or renovated.^[2]

Venues

The 2006 Sukma Games used a mix of new and existing venues. Most venues were existing public-sporting facilities, while others were newly constructed venues. Some retrofitting work were done in venues which are more than a decade old. They will be revert to public use after the games.^[3]

At the centrepiece of the activities was the upgraded 40,000-seat Darul Aman Stadium which hosts most of the events. A games village was not built, instead athletes and officials were housed in Universities throughout Kedah. Besides being physically near to the sport venues, it was hoped that it will add vibe to the city and reduce post-games costs in converting a dedicated games village to other uses.

The 11th Sukma Games had 20 venues for the games. 11 in Kota Setar, 3 each in Kuala Muda and Kubang Pasu respectively and 1 each in Langkawi, Padang Terap and Pendang respectively.^[4]

Marketing

Logo and mascot

Eagle, The official mascot of the games.

The logo of the 2006 Sukma Games is a human figure in movement, represents the games values of Faster, Higher and Stronger as in the motto of the Olympic Games. The colours of the logo are, Red which represents bravery in overcoming challenges, Yellow which represents success, Blue which represents Unity and green represents the environmental friendly value of the games.

The mascot of the 2006 Sukma Games is a nameless Eagle. The eagle is the state and symbolic bird of Kedah and one of the prevalent species throughout Kedah especially in Langkawi where an eagle sculpture was erected in the Eagle Square (Dataran Helang) to symbolise the island. It represents courage, friendly, smart and caring characteristics of the people of Kedah. The eagles is said to represent the agility, speed, courage, bravery and the spirit of the athletes as mentioned in the Olympic motto: Faster, Higher and Stronger.^[5]

Songs

The theme song of the games is "Sukan Cemerlang Negara Terbilang" (Glory in sports, Glorify the nation).

The games

Participating states

Sports

Medal table

A total of 1177 medals, comprising 370 Gold medals, 368 Silver medals and 439 Bronze medals were awarded to athletes. The host Kedah's performance was their best ever yet, and were placed sixth overall.^[6]

Key

  *   Host state (Kedah)

2006 Sukma Games medal table

Rank	State	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Selangor (SEL)	53	44	56	153
2	Pahang (PAH)	39	36	32	107
3	Perak (PRK)	37	25	33	95
4	Sarawak (SAR)	36	42	55	133
5	Penang (PEN)	36	40	52	128
6	Kedah (KED)*	30	34	37	101
7	Sabah (SAB)	26	26	29	81
8	Federal Territory (WIL)	25	31	35	91
9	Kelantan (KEL)	21	13	8	42
10	Negeri Sembilan (NSE)	20	16	25	61
11	Johor (JOH)	19	18	28	65
12	Terengganu (TER)	15	16	18	49
13	Malacca (MEL)	11	15	13	39
14	Police (POL)	2	9	7	18
15	Brunei (BRU)	0	3	5	8
16	Perlis (PER)	0	0	6	6
Total (16 States)		370	368	439	1177

Broadcasting

Radio Televisyen Malaysia was responsible for live streaming of several events, opening and closing ceremony of the games.

Concerns and Controversies

• On 28 May 2006, the Kedah state team lost a Gold medal after it was found out that Linvern Lim Yu Zheng represented Kedah as a Negeri Sembilan citizen. The Kedah state team deliberately took him for the Swimming event and was found not to obey the Games rules. Lim Yu Zheng previously represented Negeri Sembilan in the two previous Sukma Games.
• On 4 June 2006, An athlete failed a doping test.
• On 28 May 2006, a power shortage occurred at several Sukma Games venues in Kedah. At the Mount Keriang Aquatic Centre, the electronic scoreboard suffered some damage when the diving event was about to begin at 11 am. At the Squash centre in Muadzam Shah Sports Complex, the power shortage occurred at 4:40 pm, which caused the following events to be delayed.

References

External links

• "Official Website of the Games". Archived from the original on 19 August 2006.