KUALA LUMPUR – The Youth and Sports Ministry is currently focusing on refurbishing and upgrading existing sports facilities rather than building new ones.
Minister Hannah Yeoh said the ministry is always ready to develop sports facilities based on the needs of an area in order to achieve the desire to cultivate a sporting culture and healthy lifestyles.
However, she said that based on the provisions and current planning, the ministry is currently focusing on upgrading existing sports facilities under the ministry.
Hannah was responding to Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hasan’s request to build a new sporting complex in his parliamentary constituency.
“There are already a few sporting facilities in the Wangsa Maju constituency, including five futsal courts, one sports complex and one badminton centre,” said Hannah.
“In addition, there are several existing community centres and multi-purpose halls owned by Kuala Lumpur City Hall which are equipped with badminton and futsal courts, such as Taman Ibu Kota Community Centre, Gombak Community Centre, Taman Melati Impian Multipurpose Hall, Section 1 Multipurpose Hall, Section 2, Section 4, Section 10, and Taman Bunga Raya Multipurpose Hall.
“The cost to build a new sports complex complete with facilities such as a running track, courts, a field and a swimming pool is high. For example, the cost of building a stadium could be up to RM50 million. The funding that we receive each year is RM50 million for maintenance and upgrading purposes.
“That is why we are using the budget available right now to upgrade the facilities that we currently have,” she said.
In addition to that, Hannah highlighted the aspect of land ownership being an important criterion that should be given priority for any new construction.
“The ministry would like to highlight the issue of site availability in the construction of new sports facilities.
“Through the Malaysian Treasury Circular, the guidelines for the preparation of federal budget proposals, one of the important criteria in project selection is that the acquisition of land that uses federal government allocations must be transferred and registered in the name of the federal land commissioner. Applications for construction projects will not be considered until the procurement and ownership of the land is completed.
“Accordingly, every application related to the new construction of a complex must ensure that the project site is ready for the contractor to enter and there are no issues of obstacles and burdens on the project site such as squatters, residents’ objections and unsuitable geographical factors,” she said.
Hannah said that the ministry suggests that the Wangsa Maju community, especially the youth, maximise the use of the current complex and those in the surrounding areas.
“At the same time, the ministry is ready to consider the detailed written application from the MP, taking into account the conditions and requirements related to site readiness, planning related to maintenance and the existence of existing sports facilities.
“If there is a need, the MP is also welcome to identify appropriate sports facilities for the ministry to consider for upgrading purposes.
“Next year, we will receive a special budget that has been announced for upgrades. So, we are waiting for an application from the MP after he examines which location is suitable for upgrading,” Hannah said. – October 31, 2023