Johor State Sports Council (MSNJ) youth and sports officer Syafiq Hassan said the withdrawal of these athletes from representing the state in the country’s foremost national games was due to reasons of age, pursuit of further studies and priority for employment.

The age limit to participate in Sukma is 21.

“In general, this is happening (athletes withdrawing), not only in Johor, but many other states as well … In Johor, almost 40% of the 600 athletes have withdrawn from sports programmes,” he said today.

“(Among the factors cited for withdrawal are) education, age and contemplation for the future like job prospects. We cannot stop them in giving consideration to their own future.”

Syafiq, however, explained that the vacant slots have been filled by other athletes through MSNJ’s development programmes.

He said the 2020 KL Sukma is expected to be a platform to test the Johor team in preparation for 2024 when the state will play host.

“We hope that with our athletes in the development stage for Sukma 2020, they will be able to shoulder the responsibility for our charge (in Sukma 2024),” he said.

He said the Johor contingent will be ready to face 2020 KL Sukma as the athletes’ training sessions are ongoing.

In October last year, then youth and sports minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu said the Sukma supreme committee had agreed to postpone the Johor Sukma to 2024.

Faizal at that time said the committee had also agreed that the National Sports Council will  organise Sukma and Para Sukma 2020 in Kuala Lumpur this year.