Images of the flag of Malaysia, the coat of arms, a ram, and massive letters spelling out the words “Sukma” and “Perak,” the host state for the 2018 games, were seen floating high in the sky above Perak Stadium in Ipoh. The event, which has been held every two years since 1986, involved 427 sporting competitions in familiar sports such as swimming, gymnastics, tennis, and hockey, as well as sports that are less well known outside the area such as kabaddi, muay, pencak silat, and wushu. Kabaddi, for example, is a tag team contact sport with seven players on each team.

Officially opened by Nazrin Shah, the Sultan of Perak, the games were witnessed by 27,000 spectators in the stadium, thousands of others around the country from home, and about 205,000 avid YouTube watchers. The official motto “Wow! Kita Hebat! (we are great) was joyfully uttered by many.