Krisna Bayu, president of the Sambo Federation and an executive board member of the Indonesian Olympic Committee, argued that Indonesia must take a firm stance against the host nation, according to Between.
He raised the possibility of a boycott and called for a structural overhaul of the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF). Bayu asserted that the interests of regional athletes and the long-term future of Southeast Asian sports are being compromised by the host’s decisions.
The official sports list was approved by the SEAGF on Oct. 30. The finalized roster includes 43 sports and 473 events, dropping seven sports and 100 events compared to the 2025 edition in Thailand.
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A view of the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one of the main venues for the 2027 SEA Games. Photo by Pexels |
Sports excluded entirely from the lineup are rowing, canoeing, traditional boat racing, wrestling, chess, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, sport climbing and triathlon.
Beach volleyball and the men’s and women’s team events in badminton are also missing from the program.
Following Bayu’s remarks, various Indonesian sports federations publicly voiced their strong opposition. The Indonesian Rowing Association (PODSI) criticized the decision, noting that rowing accounted for nine of the 25 medals the nation won at the 2025 SEA Games.
PODSI argued that the exclusion denies elite athletes the chance to successfully defend their titles and disrupts national training plans. The association also accused Malaysia of failing to honor a prior agreement established during a May 2024 SEAGF meeting, which finalized the sports programs for the 2025, 2027, and 2029 editions of the Games, with rowing included.
The impact is also significant for Indonesian triathlon, which secured seven gold medals in 2025. Sport climbing contributed four gold medals across six events.
The Indonesian Climbing Federation emphasized that the SEA Games serve as a stepping stone for developing young talent. They noted that the loss of this platform means a generation of U17 and U19 athletes will miss out on gaining international experience.
While many core sports have been cut, the number of medal events for bowling has increased from 6 to 22. According to BowlingLifesome of these new events are categorized based on three different lane oiling patterns, an initiative Malaysian bowling described as an experiment to expand competitive opportunities.
On the host nation’s side, Olympic Council of Malaysia vice president Nur Azmi Ahmad defended the finalized list following the Oct. 30 meeting. He stated that no countries had objected to the proposed list at the time and now the program is finalized with no possibility of expanding further, citing preparation time, Messenger reported.
The 2027 SEA Games are scheduled to take place from Sept. 18 to 29 across Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Penang and Johor.