Stadiums everywhere, but...

WHENEVER I go for any athletics meet in any part of the country, my friends keep telling me how lucky the athletes in Kuala Lumpur are because of the many stadiums that we have to train in.

Sadly, only the athletes in Kuala Lumpur know that we just have no place to train.

The Merdeka Stadium which was the pride of the country is a white elephant today.

Twenty years ago it was the main venue for all major events be it athletics, football, concerts and even hockey (the 1975 World Cup was played there). More than 100 schools held their annual sports there.

In 2007 the 40,000 seating capacity of the stadium was reduced to its original 15,000 capacity.

The track which was in a deplorable condition was removed and has not been relaid until today.

The football pitch which is of cow grass is very thick and soft and each time it is mowed looks like a carpet.

Maintenance is cheap and efficient and a football match can be held just two hours after a track and field meet, with throwing events.

The Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium is another sad story.

It has been closed since August 2011 and I understand that it will remain closed for another two years due to repairs.

Does it takes four years to repair a stadium which is in good condition?

In other countries, they can build a whole new sports complex in four years! I hope the mayor can shed some light on this.

At one time many school as well as district and state meets were held at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

Suddenly, concerts are the main attraction. I was shocked to see the stage being built on the track.

I checked with an officer on the stadium’s board and was told that if they built the stage on the field the grass would die.

He doesn’t even know the difference in cost of returfing the field and laying a new track. But why the sudden change?

Revenue! When you lease a property to an individual or corporation, making money becomes the top priority as they have to pay staff salaries, so you can’t blame them.

The field is forever under repair. For our country’s climate cow grass is the best. It’s not only very hardy and cheap to maintain, but due to it being compact and thick the players will not get bruised easily each time they fall.

What I don’t understand is why are government built facilities leased to corporations.

All stadiums and other sports facilities should come under the purview of the Sports Ministry and open to the public.

The National Sports Council Stadium is basically for training of the national team and the students of Bukit Jalil Sports School and as such it’s not possible to be used by schools or any corporate body.

The Kampung Pandan Sports Complex is however a haven for all.

The last Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek visited the complex when he was appointed minister and immediately gave the gymnasium a facelift. Now it has sophisticated equipment and is very well maintained. It’s open to the public at a very nominal price.

The track however has been in a deplorable condition for the last five years. Despite this it has been the venue for over 100 school sports events and home of the Kuala Lumpur track team.

The new Sports Minister visited just a month ago and I hope he will do something about the track.

When it gets hot the track starts to melt and the material sticks to your shoes.

Last year the six-lane track became four lanes. The contractor dug up the two lanes (despite my protest) to lay water pipes when there is space off the track.

He told me he was only following instructions from the Sports Ministry. I am sure the officer who gave the instructions either does not have a clue what the track is for or he may have never visited the complex.

This complex is fully used even on weekends. The staff are about the most supportive civil servants I have come across. They are obliging and booking the facilities is easy.

If the person in-charge of bookings is on leave the others help out, including the supervisor.

During school sports events they even allocate a storeroom to keep our belongings. The sad part is they are under staffed.

Twice a year I top up the sand in the long jump pit and even replace the take off board.

Early this year I drew the lines on the track, all at my expense.

This is the pathetic truth about the stadiums in Kuala Lumpur.

Under such circumstances how can we produce champions even at the lowest level, let alone world beaters. ARUNANDY Kuala Lumpur