Sports in Malaysia are an important part of Malaysian culture. Sports in Malaysia are popular from both the participation and spectating aspect. Malaysians from different walks of life join in a wide variety of sports for recreation as well as for competition. In the broadest definition of sports—physical exercise of all sorts—the four most popular recreational sports among the general population of Malaysia are exercise walking, aerobic exercise, strength training, and running. Other most popular sports are bicycling, swimming, climbing, camping, bowling, hiking, fishing, scuba diving and paragliding.
In the spectating aspect, the spectator sports with most fans are association football, field hockey, rugby union, badminton, volleyball, handball, basketball and mixed martial arts. Malaysia has hosted several major sports events including the Commonwealth Games in 1998.
Individual sports
Outdoor sports
In the broadest definition of sports—physical exercise of all sorts—the four most popular recreational sports among the general population of Malaysia are exercise walking, aerobic exercise, strength training, and running. Most Malaysians live in housing areas with amenities such as public parks, pedestrian zone, health clubs and sport complexes nearby.
Other most popular sports are bicycling, swimming, climbing, camping, bowling, hiking and fishing. Scuba diving is another recreation, particularly around the southeastern region of Sabah (on the island of Borneo). Paragliding was recently introduced sport in Malaysia which is gaining popularity when many flying locations were developed around the country.
Racquet sports
The Malaysia national badminton team has won 6 silver medals and 3 bronze medals in badminton in the Olympic Games since the sport was first introduced to the Olympics in 1992. In 1992 Razif Sidek and Jalani Sidek won the bronze medal in men's doubles. In 1996, Rashid Sidek won the bronze medal in men's singles while Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock won the silver medal in men's doubles. Lee Chong Wei won three silver medals in men's singles each in 2008, 2012 and 2016. In 2016, Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying won silver medals in mixed doubles while Tan Wee Kiong and Goh V Shem won silver medals in men's doubles. In 2021, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik won bronze medal in Men's Doubles.
In singles, the top men's shuttler is world number 4 Lee Zii Jia while Malaysia's best women's singles shuttler is Goh Jin Wei ranked world number 33. National top men's doubles pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik are placed world number 2 followed by Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi who are ranked world number 8 and also followed by Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin who are ranked world number 18 while the top women's doubles pair, Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan are ranked world number 8 and top mixed doubles pair, Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai are ranked world number 8 followed by world number 13 pair Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing in the BWF World Ranking (as of 11 April 2023). The Malaysia national badminton team is ranked world number 4 in the BWF World Team Ranking (as of 4 April 2023).
Malaysia has won the Thomas Cup, the world men's team trophy, five times since it was first contested in 1949 and has been runner-up nine times as of 2014. In 2022, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik won gold medal in the men's doubles sector at the BWF World Championships, making history as the first ever Malaysian badminton player to win gold at the prestigious event. Malaysia also holds its own annual international badminton tournament, the Malaysia Open, which is now part of the Badminton World Federation's World Tour Super 1000 event and the Malaysia Masters, which is now part of the Badminton World Federation's World Tour Super 500 event.
Squash in Malaysia is governed by the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM). The Kuala Lumpur Open and Malaysian Open are annual squash tournaments held in Malaysia. The Malaysia men's national squash team has reached the quarterfinal stage at the World Team Squash Championships six times. The men's team has won the Asian Squash Team Championships three times. The Malaysia women's national squash team has won the silver medal once and bronze medal at the World Team Squash Championships four times. The women's team has won the Asian Squash Team Championships seven times.