KUALA LUMPUR: - Malaysia's Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has labelled the South-east Asia Games a circus.

Incensed that first-time host Laos, who will stage the next edition in December, has dropped Olympic sports such as gymnastics and hockey, but included events such as fin swimming and shuttlecock kicking (capteh), he said the biennial regional sports fest will no longer be a priority for Malaysia.