Jakarta, Indonesia: “We have proven it!” said Malaysian contingent head, Sarkunan Balakrishnan, after the national team claimed 25 gold, 16 silver, and 11 bronze medals, emerging as overall champion at the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Deaf Games.
Sarkunan urged the federal and state governments to recognise the athletes’ achievement with special incentives, and called on state authorities to support their deaf sports associations, which face heavy financial demands for tournaments.
The medal haul surpassed Malaysia’s initial target of 16 golds and broke the previous record of 15 set in 2022.
The 25th gold was won by female bowler, Siw Sing Hie, who scored 1,491 pinfalls in the Masters event.
Athletics (10 golds), bowling (8), chess (5), and badminton (2) drove the success.
Sarkunan, also Vice-President of the Malaysian Deaf Sports Association, credited government support and long-term training programmes for the strong performance.
Malaysia will host the 2027 SEA Deaf Games in Penang, introducing six new events, including orienteering and e-sports, with plans for smooth organisation.
The triumph reaffirms Malaysia as a regional powerhouse in deaf sports. – BERNAMA
