STA’s last-ditch effort to resurface tennis courts
KOTA KINABALU: It has come to the final straw as Sabah Tennis Association (STA) makes a last-ditch effort to get resurface works carried out on the tennis courts at the Kota Kinabalu Sports Complex in Likas here.
STA president Johnson Koh has been raising the matter for the past five years urging the relevant government departments to take action but to no avail.
He has exhausted all possible venues in seeking assistance for the courts to be resurfaced and he hoped the plight of the association would soon come to an end.
“We have approached and written to every authority and so far Luyang Assemblyman Datuk Dr Hiew King Cheu is the most well-connected to seek for the funds,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Koh and Hiew have approached the Chief Minister twice, but on both occasions the memos went to the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Accordingly the ministry has its hands tied as there is not enough fund to conduct the much needed resurfacing works.
According to Koh, the tennis courts were resurfaced 13 years ago, while others believe it goes back longer to when Sabah hosted the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in 2002.
The tennis courts are in deplorable condition and players have no choice but to risk injury playing on the deteriorating surface, while hoping for conditions to improve.
Yesterday, Koh managed to persuade Hiew to inspect the tennis courts once again. This time Hiew was accompanied by a tennis resurfacing expert to check and assess the condition of the courts.
Koh appealed to Hiew to request a special allocation from the Chief Minister through the Luyang ADUN funds so that resurfacing can be done as soon as possible.
Towards this end, Koh appealed to tennis players, coaches and parents to be patient.
Koh said this would be his last straw and that if it goes to no avail, he would let the players, coaches and parents take the matter up with whoever they feel can assist them.