JOHOR BAHRU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday described sports as a platform that can stimulate a sense of pride in the people for their country.
He also said that the government realised that sports was blind to race and religion.
Citing an example to prove the point, he said Malaysians left their daily activity aside and sat glued to their television sets to watch the final badminton match of the Rio Olympic Games between Datuk Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long of China last August, where Malaysia had the chance to win its first Olympic gold medal.
“These are the Malaysians who love sports and wish to see the success of Malaysian sports at the highest international level,” he said at the launch of the Larkin Arena and Mount Austin Athletics Stadium here.
Najib said the development of the Larkin Arena and Athletics Stadium was timely and in tandem with the development of Johor to ensure balanced development for the people.
“We must have a balanced pattern of life, where we have time to engage in events that can fill our spare time, give us satisfaction and calm regarded as qualities of life, and with the continuing rise in our standard of living, make us demand better qualities of life,” he said.
The Larkin Arena, which covers 42.08 hectares and is being developed by Johor Corporation, encompasses the construction of the Johor Bahru City Council Indoor Stadium, an upgraded council swimming pool and the Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium in Larkin.
The Larkin Arena, involving a cost of RM350 million, is expected to be completed in 2020.
The Mount Austin Athletics Stadium is to be developed by Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor at a cost of RM89 million and is expected to be completed in three years. — Bernama