New volleyball stadium needs OP and pronto — Association

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Dr William Ting Wei Ung.

Dr William Ting Wei Ung.

One of the two volleyball courts inside the stadium. In the background are the stadium seats.

One of the two volleyball courts inside the stadium. In the background are the stadium seats.

SIBU: The staging of the 2016 Malaysia Games (Sukma) volleyball event in Sibu may hit a snag if the Sibu Volleyball Association (SVA) fails to get the occupation permit (OP) in time for for its spanking new volleyball stadium.

Association chairman Dr William Ting Wei Ung said time was running short with the XVIII Games just about 10 months away.

He urged the Sibu Municipal Council to expedite the issuing of the OP to facilitate the association’s preparation for the grand event. The official opening is fixed for July 23, 2016.

Sarawak Sports Council has tasked SMC with the staging of the volleyball event together with SVA.

The local people had welcomed the news with open arms when it was announced a few months back that Sibu would get to host volleyball and badminton for the 2016 Sukma, Ting noted.

He said SVA was also hoping to host the 2017 SEA Games volleyball event at its Sibu Prudential Volleyball Association Stadium in Rejang Park.

Works on the RM10-million stadium was completed in 2014.

The project is a smart partnership venture between the council and SVA, with the former providing the land and the latter overseeing the construction, renovation and maintenance.

The stadium, said to be the biggest volleyball stadium in the country, has a seating capacity for 3,000 people.

It comprises a four-storey administrative block, a gym, a canteen, two volleyball courts furnished with high-tech rubberized flooring imported from Germany, and the SVA office.

The stadium is expected to give economic spin-offs for the Rejang Park community.

Ting believed the design and structure of the stadium have caused the delay in the issuing of OP.

SVA was said to have amended the curtain walls of the administrative block to aluminum window and brick walls for easier maintenance and greater public security.

The council had wanted the association to apply for a permit to do the alteration, which the association was said to have complied with.

Ting said he was unsure what else was impeding the issuing of the OP.

“I hope it has nothing to do with politics,” he said.

He added: “We have been working so hard to come up with the stadium to ensure that the legacy of Sarawak as a volleyball powerhouse will be carried into the next generation. The least we expect from the SMC is to lend us all the support and moral encouragement in order for us to forge ahead.”