Hannah Yeoh: No Gold Medal Target for SEA Games; “Colorless Medal” Approach to Continue Easing Athlete Pressure

(Kuala Lumpur, Nov 17) Malaysia will not set a gold medal target for next month’s SEA Games in Thailand. Instead, the Youth and Sports Ministry will continue using the “overall medal target” or “colorless medal” approach to reduce pressure on athletes.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the method was introduced based on recommendations from experts at Japan’s Nippon Sport Science University, which has signed an MoU with the National Sports Council (MSN) and the National Sports Institute (ISN). The university has produced more than 40 Olympic gold medalists, making its guidance highly credible.

She added that MSN will soon announce Malaysia’s overall medal target for the Thailand SEA Games.

“Experts believe this system reduces psychological burden on athletes. We used the same approach at the Hangzhou Asian Games and received positive feedback,” she noted.

Yeoh spoke during the signing ceremony of a sponsorship agreement between MSN and local sports brand PACE.

However, the “colorless medal target” method has faced criticism, with some arguing it reduces financial accountability and makes it harder to assess sports development performance without specific gold medal targets.

The system was first used at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where Malaysia set a 27-medal target but eventually earned 32 medals (6 gold, 8 silver, 18 bronze). Still, the tally of gold and silver medals fell short compared to the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games (7 gold, 13 silver, 16 bronze).

The Youth and Sports Ministry is expected to announce the final medal target for the Thailand SEA Games this Thursday.