KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians welcomed the government's decision to not host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with many expressing contentment on social media platforms.
The New Straits Times Facebook page saw an influx of comments applauding the move after the article was posted.
"Thank you to whoever made that decision," remarked Ravi Varmman.
"Alhamdulilah, correct decision," said Ahmad Ridzalman Jamal.
"This is the right decision," wrote Haizul Ikhwan.
"The most sensible decision," commented Lolita Ban.
"It's a timely and proper decision in view of the (country's) economic climate," added Lionel Gan.
The Youth and Sports Ministry today announced that Malaysia has decided against hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The ministry, in a statement, said that the the decision over the matter was decided during the Cabinet meeting today after taking into consideration all aspects as well as implications.
The cabinet, the ministry said, decided that the RM603 million grant offered by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) was not enough to fund the entire expenses to host the major-scale event.
"In addition, the economic impact (from the hosting of the event) could not be identified in the nearest time," the statement read.
