Malaysia, the reigning champion, is sending its second-largest contingent to the 2nd Southeast Asia (SEA) Deaf Games 2025 (SEADG 2025) scheduled from 20 to 26 August 2025, with the target of bringing home 16 gold medals from the Jakarta Games.

The Malaysian Deaf Sports Association (MSDeaf) today officially announced the participation of its 80-strong national contingent, the second largest after host Indonesia’s contingent of 100 athletes and officials.

The national contingent, comprising 53 athletes and 27 officials, will compete in all six sports contested at the Jakarta Games, namely Futsal, Athletics, Badminton, Tenpin Bowling, Chess and Table Tennis.

Malaysia’s medal target includes one gold in men’s futsal, six in athletics, two in badminton, two in chess, and five in tenpin bowling.

In the inaugural Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2022, Malaysia emerged triumphant as overall champions, clinching 15 gold medals, ahead of Indonesia’s 10, Singapore’s 6, and Thailand’s 2.

MSDeaf also announced the appointment of its Vice-President, Sarkunan A/L Balakrisnan, as Chef de Mission of the Malaysian contingent. Sarkunan, who is also the President of the Selangor Deaf Sports Association (SelSDeaf), is widely respected for his dedication to developing deaf sports in Selangor and for his achievements as a deaf entrepreneur.

“It is a great honour to lead our national deaf contingent to Jakarta,” said Sarkunan. “We have a talented and committed group of athletes and, apart from defending our status as reigning champions, our motivation is to inspire more Malaysians to recognise and celebrate the abilities of our deaf community.”

Perlis-born Zaiman Megat Abu, a proven long jump and triple jump champion whose achievements include winning double gold in both events at the 1st SEA Deaf Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2022, has been chosen as Malaysia’s flag bearer at the Games.

Zaiman also won a gold medal in the long jump and silver in triple jump at last year’s 10th Asia Pacific Deaf Games (APDG) in Kuala Lumpur. A strong medal prospect at the upcoming 25th Deaflympics in Tokyo this November, Zaiman said: “It will be a proud moment for me as Malaysia’s flag bearer, and we are determined to bring pride to the nation.”

The men’s futsal team, gold medallists in the 2022 Kuala Lumpur Games, are expected to defend their title while major share of the contingent’s golden haul is expected from athletics with Zaiman leading the charge.

Other notable stars in the contingent include Boon Wei Ying and Foo Zu Tung, the women’s doubles badminton pair who won gold at the 2022 Deaflympics in Brazil and at the 1st SEA Deaf Games, as well as bronze at the APDG 2023. In mixed doubles, Edmund Teo and Boon Wei Ying will look to improve on their silver medal from the 2022 Deaflympics and bronze from last year’s APDG.

“These athletes carry the hopes of our nation,” Sarkunan added. “We call on all Malaysians to rally behind them. Your support means the world to our athletes.”

Athletes have been undergoing intensive preparations for the Games since last year, with training for athletics centralised in Terengganu, Perlis, and Sabah. Preparations for badminton and tenpin bowling were held in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Chess players trained in Penang and Sabah, while table tennis preparations were based in Sarawak.

MSDeaf also hopes to secure medal-winning incentives for the athletes through close cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS). Regardless of the outcome of these discussions, MSDeaf has pledged to reward medal winners from its resources, with details to be announced later.

The Malaysian contingent will depart for Jakarta on 19 August 2025.

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