KUALA LUMPU: The Sepaktakraw Association of Malaysia (PSM) president, Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan admitted that the Jalan Raja Muda Kampung Baru Stadium needs improvements before it can be developed as the Malaysian Sepak Takraw Academy (ASTM) this June.
According to Sumali, all the improvements to the venue will be carried out by his party after taking over the venue on April 1 as previously announced.
“After I visited with the deputy president Datuk Abdul Halim Suleiman, we felt that there are many things that we need to do, for example, the hall itself needs to have the best equipment, and also air conditioning.
“In addition, there are also approximately 32 accommodation rooms here which I feel we need to upgrade to provide comfort to the occupants. So we will discuss these matters in the next meeting,” he said after visiting the Jalan Raja Muda Stadium here today.
Previously, the media reported that PSM would take over the operation of the stadium, which is owned by the National Sports Institute (ISN), with the governing body being given a nine-year rental contract until 2034.
The decision was reached after a meeting between PSM representatives and Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, which was also attended by the deputy director-general (sports development) of the National Sports Council (MSN), Jefri Ngadirin, on Monday.
Meanwhile, when asked to comment on the Titiwangsa Stadium, which is home to the national sepak takraw team, Sumali said the venue would still be used to host international-level tournaments.
“We will hold major tournaments at the Titiwangsa Stadium because, as we know, the stadium has its own history for sepak takraw. We even won the World Cup there.
“We will use this venue to organise local tournaments and athlete development programmes,” he said. – BERNAMA
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