"Azalina said building the centre in Europe would make it easier for national athletes to adapt to the cold weather."
wat about building another center in middle east, it's also easier for national athletes to adapt to the extreme hot weather?!?... owhh yeah, don't think malaysia own any land in any part of middle east... durh!...
"Azalina, however, said the actual cost of the proposed centre had yet to be finalised."
another before and after cost episode like wat uncle sam did to mrr2 kepong highway?!?...
"“We are confident that if it’s managed well, it can bring good returns to the investment made,” she added."
yay!.. malaysia is going to the world cup!...
Nod for sports complex plan
THE Government will go ahead and build the estimated RM490mil sports training centre in London, said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said.
She said the centre would be built on government land in Brickendonbury, 24km from the proposed site of the 2012 London Olympics Village.
The Cabinet Committee on Sports chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had approved the project in principle, she said in her reply to a question by Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang.
Azalina said the centre would be used to train national athletes and facilitate sports technology transfer to Malaysia.
“The Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre Brickendonbury in London has been identified as the most suitable location, as London is the gateway to European countries. The land is also owned by our Government,” she said.
Lim had asked whether the building of the training centre would be stopped so that the money could be used more productively to create new talents and promote local sports.
Azalina said building the centre in Europe would make it easier for national athletes to adapt to the cold weather.
The centre would become a short-term training centre and could act as a forward base to local athletes competing in Europe, she added.
“My ministry still wants to go ahead with the project, as we are confident that our approach to be with countries developed in sports will help us learn to develop and advance our own sports.”
Azalina, however, said the actual cost of the proposed centre had yet to be finalised.
“We are confident that if it’s managed well, it can bring good returns to the investment made,” she added.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/11/parliament/14797021&sec=parliament
Price of foreign centre too high
PETALING JAYA: Former national athletes and the public have questioned the need to build a RM490mil sports training centre in London.
Many readers who responded to an online poll on the matter questioned the need for the centre as it came with a high price tag.
“Why waste RM500mil?” said reader F. Ahmad, who argued that African countries have athletes who do well in major sporting events such as the Olympics without such a dedicated training centre.
Jasmine of Petaling Jaya argued that the overhead costs incurred for the long-term maintenance of the centre would be “huge.”
“To justify the overall cost, how many athletes would we need to send for cold climate training?” she asked.
Reader Azlina suggested the money be used to build facilities, and equip and train athletes locally instead, so that “more could be trained here.”
“European countries don’t build sports training centres in Asia for their athletes to adapt to the hot and humid climate, but they still do well,” said V. Suresh of Seremban.
Other readers felt that the performance of Malaysian athletes in the region did not justify such a project.
“We can’t even perform well or win regularly enough in Asia. Why bother training for winter sports?” said reader Sam.
Overall, readers felt that the cost of the centre far outweighed the potential benefits derived from having it.
Badminton great Datuk Eddy Choong said though the intention was good, there were loopholes in the proposal by Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said to build the centre as a “forward-base” for athletes.
“From an economic point of view, it is a very expensive place to train athletes as the exchange rate is nearly seven times more than the ringgit and the cost of living is three times higher than in Malaysia.
“Secondly, are there enough athletes who can make it big internationally? It would be better to send them to China for training where the cost of living is lower.”
Choong said the most value for money in terms of sports technology transfer would be to import the best coaches here and to get Malaysian coaches to learn from them.
Former national athletics coach Datuk Nashatar Singh said he is against the proposal if it is going to cost RM490mil as reported.
“However, if athletes must go overseas, they should be there for two to three years at least. They should also equip themselves with knowledge so they will not have difficulty finding a job once their sporting life is over,” he said.
“Some athletes who have been sent overseas wanted to come home after two weeks because they could not adjust.”
He said there was also no single place where athletes can gain complete exposure.
“If you want the best in throwing sports, the Eastern Bloc is the place, while America is the best place for sprints,” he said.
Nashatar said the Government should consider setting up training centres in Cameron Highlands.
Ten-time national taekwondo champion and 1986 Asian Games silver medallist R. Selvamuthu said there was no need for such a centre as Malaysia already had good facilities.
“Bring the good coaches here rather than send our athletes over. That would be better and the athlete could concentrate fully in training as their family and friends are around.”
But badminton supremo Datuk Punch Gunalan, a lone supporter of the initiative, said the cost of the centre was secondary to the motivation for the project.
“It is good news for Malaysian sports, not only badminton but for other sports as well. It is a positive idea and I fully support it,” he said.
However, some high-ranking sports officials, who declined to be named, questioned the cost effectiveness of such a project like the start-up costs and the operating point of view.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/12/nation/14809066&sec=nation
"National Sports Council director-general Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz earlier said the RM490mil figure is a projection of the total cost the Government would spend over the next 10 years, and not for building the infrastructure. In a special press conference on Friday, he said no figure was ever mentioned in any of their deliberations or decisions."
took fm... http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?file=/columnists/2006/7/16/onthebeat/14845510&sec=On%20The%20Beat ...
owhh wow!... the rm 490mil projection is ONLY a total cost the govt would spend over the next 10 years... wat bout building the complex, maintaining it, servicing it, upkeeping it, etc?!?.. perhaps another rm 490mil?!?... durh!...
"Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai also reportedly said the figure from Lim “did not come from the ministry” while National Sports Council’s Philip Chan said it “is not definite” and “is likely to be lower”."
took fm... http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?file=/columnists/2006/7/16/onthebeat/14845510&sec=On%20The%20Beat ...
one clown fm national sport council which also basically falls under the same ministry together with this 2 clowns mentioned that the rm 490mil is a projection... but then again, they same clan mention the figure did not come fm the ministry... durh!...
"is not definite" and "is likely to be lower" kinda reply is just so freaking durh!...
now, if they are REALLY going ahead with this so called project despite endless of objections fm the rakyats.. can someone pls tell me wat's the meaning of democratic again?!?...
do check out lim kit siang's blog and comments on this matter... http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=599#more-599 ...
p/s ; brickendonbury... you break that up you will get... brick-endon-bury... prolly one of the many reasons pak lah said yes because of the name... durh!...
July 19, 2006 20:30 PM
London Authorities Say No To Sports Centre
PUTRAJAYA, July 19 (Bernama) -- Initial response from the London authorities showed that they would not allow the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia in Brickendonbury, London, to be turned into a High Performance Sports Centre, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Wednesday.
They would not allow any extension to the present buildings as they wanted to preserve the area, the prime minister said.
"It was just a suggestion. It didn't work out. So far there's no official response.
"We want to implement it but if the authorities in London say no, then it's no," he told a news conference at his officer here.
Abdullah was responding to a question on the Youth and Sports Ministry's proposal for such a centre to enable Malaysia to be closer to a country excellent in sports so that expertise and technologies could be transferred to Malaysians.
The proposal drew mixed responses from the public, sports community and parliamentarians, including those who oppose it, citing the RM490 million cost for the centre as being too high.
However, the ministry denied the figure in the Dewan Rakyat Tuesday saying that a decision had yet to be made on the proposal.
Abdullah said that since the proposal could not proceed, the allocation could be utilised for other matters.
-- BERNAMA
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=209019
July 23, 2006 14:56 PM
London Sports Centre Project To Be Pursued
KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Bernama) -- The Youth and Sports Ministry will continue pursuing the building of the controversial sports centre outside London despite strong objections from many quarters, including the opposition parties.
Its minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said said the matter had to be pursued as it was needed to mould Malaysian sportsmen to become high achievers.
She slammed detractors of the project, saying their criticisms were baseless especially with regard to the cost of the project.
"I don't see why this project has become an issue because the cost, which was raised by opposition leader Lim Kit Siang, has yet to be finalised," she told reporters here.
Media reports that the centre will cost RM490 million triggered an outcry from many quarters, including opposition parties who claimed that the money could be put to better use in Malaysia.
Azalina, however, said the Finance Ministry had the last say on the matter as it is a government project.
The proposed centre is to be located at the Tun Abdul Razak Rubber Research Centre (TARRC) in Brikendonbury in Hertfordshire, some 24km from the approved site of the 2012 London Olympic Games village.
However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last Wednesday had said that the British authorities would not allow additional buildings to be built at the TARRC because it has been gazetted as a heritage site.
In view of this, Azalina said the National Sports Council (NSC) would meet the Malaysian Rubber Board next week to discuss the possibility of sharing the TARRC facility.
The outcome of the meeting would be presented to the Cabinet Committee on Sports when it held its next meeting in September for further consideration, Azalina added.
-- BERNAMA
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/printable.php?id=209628
Abdullah’s first “White Elephant” Project (London Sports Centre) – Azalina’s “Tai Chi” in Parliament
Youth and Sports Minister Azalina Othman was booed on Sunday night when she was late by 40 minutes for the opening of the First World Junior Wushu Championships 2006 in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday night – and she offered neither explanation nor apology for her lack of punctuality.
But she might have picked up some tips for her “Tai Chi” performance in Parliament during question time this morning, in totally avoiding the question on the Sports Centre in London – claiming that a final decision would only be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Sports in September based on a feasibility study which is being finalised, asking for queries to be held in abeyance until then. She added that the RM490 million figure quoted for the proposed Brickendonbury Sports Centre project outside London was not correct.
She was unequally unforthcoming to my supplementary questions, viz:
•Why she is so stubborn to persist with the London Sports Centre project, which will become the first “white elephant” project of the Abdullah premiership,
(i)especially when it is roundly opposed by the people and MPs regardless of party as the monies could be better spent on building sports centres throughout the country as in every parliamentary constituency, in towns, kampongs, felda, felcra, to scout and develop sports talents;
(ii)aware of the objections of the planning authorities to such development as the proposal by the former Primary Industries Ministry to build a golf course at the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC) in Brickendonbury had been rejected by the local council concerned;
•Why if a foreign country is being considered for a Sports Centre, why was not Australia considered which won 84 gold models in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006 and a recognized sports power as compared to England, which only won 36 golds in Melbourne;
•Whether having a Sports Centre in London can result in:
(i)Malaysia winning back the Thomas Cup’;
(ii)Improvement in the standards of Malaysian football, which had fallen to 148 placing in the FIFA World Rankings 2006. (This is lower than North Korea, Singapore, Palestine, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. A decade ago, Malaysia’s FIFA world ranking was around the 100 mark); or
(iii)Breaking Mani Jegathesan’s 400 metre record of 46.3 second set in 1965 without any Sports Centre in London.
Azalina asked for my patience to wait until the September decision, remarking irrelevantly that I might otherwise suffer a heart attack. I riposted that although I was down with a bad flu, I had made the point to be present in Parliament to pose these questions – and Malaysians expect a responsible Minister to give proper answers.
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=657
if london is giving the green light... then it's...
malaysia boleh!...
malaysia or rather the government prove again nothing is impossible for them despite countless of objections fm the rakyat... think, even some people in the government protesting to this idea... but, here the 'big ones' did it again!... wooohooooooo!...
they are willing to spend millions of ringgits abroad in the name of pride... but they are not willing to increase the extremely low salary of the people working for them!... wooooohooooooo!...
wait a minute... why is there no cost indicated since they already announced that the project is on?!?... errrrrrrrrr... why?!?....
if this project is really going ahead... for those who think that they have strings to pull in the government and/or in london government... ACT FAST... bang on this job.. will just make you another millionaire overnight!... woohoooooo!...
p/s ; is london were to shoot down this idea... then... some more woooohooooooo!.... tengok lah muka diorang, tengok mana mau taruk!...
High Performance Training Centre (HPTC) project is on
By S. RAMAGURU
PUTRAJAYA: The controversial High Performance Training Centre (HPTC) project in Brickendonbury, London, is on.
However, a new sports complex is not likely to be built at what is now the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre. Instead, current facilities will be renovated and upgraded for use by the Malaysian athletes.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said yesterday that the centre was necessary to realise the government’s vision of excelling in sports at international level.
Football, now at its lowest ebb in Malaysia, will act as the “anchor sport” at the centre.
Najib, who chairs the Cabinet Committee on Sports, said that although the proposal was still in the planning stages, they have chosen several sports, including football, for the project and identified four basic areas which could benefit and be developed at the 48-acre centre.
Najib, however, repeated the Prime Minister’s statement last week that the Government would wait for the decision of the British authorities before making a final decision on the centre.
“We have looked at several proposals and there are many benefits for our teams in having the HPTC. Football and cycling are two sports which can gain from a long stay at the HPTC. In London, they will get to compete against the Europeans and also there is a host of competitions for the cyclists to take part.
“We also want to see our junior football teams gain exposure in UK, especially the Under-17 and Under-20 boys,” said Najib at a press conference here yesterday.
The plan also includes getting the junior football teams to play in as many matches against the English club sides and take advantage of the many competitions in Europe.
Football, one of the eight core sports under the national agenda, has come under fire for the national team’s poor showing in international matches.
Malaysia were 148th in FIFA’s world rankings list last month and have not had achieved success at international level – their best was qualifying for the 1972 Munich and 1980 Moscow Olympics.
They were also two-time bronze medallists at the Asian Games – 1962 in Jakarta and 1974 in Teheran. Their last success, winning a gold at the regional level SEA Games was in 1989.
Besides football, the Cabinet committee felt sports like archery, squash, cycling, badminton and swimming would also benefit from the facilities at the centre, which has a football field, swimming pool and an open area for archery.
Najib said the centre would be able to house athletes for short-term training stints and also act as a transit point before competition in Europe.
He cited the recent World Badminton Championships in Madrid; saying the players could have done better if they had used the HPTC to acclimatise before the championships.
(For the record, the national team were in Madrid 10 days before the world meet to acclimatise.)
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said said the centre was necessary to mould Malaysian athletes into high achievers.
“Football is still the number one game in the country. We need to give football priority and we can put this centre to good use,” said Azalina.
Azalina gave an assurance that no new facilities would be built and they have yet to ascertain the cost of upgrading the existing facilities.
“It is wrong to say that we are going to build another Bukit Jalil Sports Complex in London. The renovations are all indoors,” she added.
Azalina said that the Rubber Research Institute (RRI), who own the facilities have agreed to share it with the Sports Ministry.
“Officials from the RRI are also in our committee and they have no problems in sharing their facilities with us.”
http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2006/9/29/sports/15578872&sec=sports
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment