Teams participating 16 Opening ceremony 24 May 2006 | Events 370 in 27 sports Closing ceremony 4 June 2006 | |
Motto Sukan Cemerlang, Negara Terbilang(Glory in sports, glorify the nation) Main venue | ||
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
Logo and mascot
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.
Songs
The theme song of the games is "Sukan Cemerlang Negara Terbilang" (Glory in sports, Glorify the nation).
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.
* Host state (Kedah)
Broadcasting
Radio Televisyen Malaysia was responsible for live streaming of several events, opening and closing ceremony of the games.