Dr Ong and Khairy at the new Aquatics Centre in Petra Jaya yesterday.
KUCHING: Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin is impressed with the spanking new Aquatics Centre as one of Malaysia’s world-class sports facilities now located here in the state.
According to him, the newly built state Aquatics Centre in Petra Jaya is definitely world-class and he was happy to see the venue being unveiled for Sukma XVIII this year.
He was here with officials to visit the venue yesterday which is also equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. With a budget of RM163 million, the centre was built in compliance with the International Swimming Federation (Fina) specifications in terms of design and facilities.
“This venue is definitely one of the outstanding venues for Sukma XVIII this year. I am impressed with what I saw there when I visited the place,” he added during a press conference yesterday.
Meanwhile, he too has confirmed that Brunei will participate in this year’s Sukma XVIII. According to him, officials from the contingent have only confirmed their participation for the games very recently.
“They will participate this year and we welcome them for their interest in participating. Their participation will provide good competition for our local athletes,” he said.
With Brunei’s recent confirmation to participate in the national games, the closing date for registration of Sukma XVIII athletes and officials has also been extended to April 30.