Youth Ministry orders evaluation, structural forensics on National Stadium

 

An evaluation, including structural forensics on the Bukit Jalil National Stadium (SNBJ), will be carried out immediately to identify aspects of the stadium that need to be improved before further action is taken by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu said he had instructed Stadium Malaysia Corporation (PSM) to appoint a company to make the assessment because apart from the field, improvements would also cover other facilities such as toilets at the stadium.

"The stadium was built in the 90s for the 1998 Commonwealth Games. We haven't conducted structural forensics for a long time, so we want to know if it's still strong and so on or what needs to be done," Ahmad Faizal told reporters after closing the Youth Parliament Conference in Bangi, Selangor, yesterday.

According to him, after the evaluation report is received, the PSM board of directors will meet to determine the facilities that need to be improved before the matter is submitted to the Ministry of Finance.

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"At the same time, we will start the government procurement processes because we cannot change the field (without approval)," he said.

He said the pitch would be replaced with ‘Zeon Zoysia’ grass that is similar to that used at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, which was donated by the Tunku Mahkota of Johor (TMJ) Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.

Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu

Ahmad Faizal also explained that SNBJ would not be completely closed as some facilities not involved in improvement works, such as the tracks, can be used for now.

“We are in discussions with some organisers (who have made bookings), for example, the returfing is not starting now, so if you want to hold a concert you can. What we don't want to disturb is when we start the process of changing the grass, it will then be total closure, ” he said.

According to him, the progress report on the repair work would also be reported to the public from time to time.

The poor quality of the pitch at SNBJ and stagnant water after a eavy rain before the match between Malaysia and Bahrain that kicked off last Saturday sparked dissatisfaction among various quarters.

To make matters worse, some stadium workers were seen trying to drain water from the field surface using shovels and cardboard just before the match began, which drew criticisms and tarnished the country's image at the international level, causing the Youth and Sports Ministry to speed up improvement work originally planned to start in March 2023.

Ahmad Faizal also said he would liaise with the Prime Minister's Office to discuss details of incentives for the national hockey and football teams for qualifying for the 2023 World Cup and Asian Cup.

- Bernama