KUCHING: The National Sports Institute (ISN) centres in Miri and Sibu will be fully operational by next year.
Social Development Minister Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom who gave this assurance, said the ISN had started renovating the centre in Miri.
“It is expected to become operational by the beginning of next year,” he said in his winding up speech at the State Legislative Assembly yesterday.
The two additional ISN centres in Sibu and Miri were brought up for mention at the last Dewan sitting in June. They will cater for the athletes’ sports science needs in the northen and central regions
Responding to a query from the Meluan assemblyman (Wong Judat) on Julau Sports complex, Mawan said: “I’m pleased to say the project has been approved under the 10MP. My Ministry has identified the site and is now waiting for approval.”
Other new facilities to be built are the Sibu indoor stadium, the Mukah sports complex, the Betong swimming pool complex and the hockey field at Sarawak Stadium Complex.
Mawan said some of the repairs and upgradings for the existing sports facilities involved structural rectification works at the Sarawak Stadium, replacement of floodlights at the State Stadium and improvements to the Limbang indoor stadium and Sri Aman dewan suarah.
He disclosed the federal government had approved 92 gelanggang futsal 1Malaysia for Sarawak.
“In response to the request from the Semop assemblyman (Abdullah Saidol), I wish to inform that two of the approved projects will be built at Kampung Penipah and Kampung Semop in the constituency. The projects are now in the site- identification and tendering stages and scheduled to be completed by next year.”
Mawan also said the federal government had allocated RM30 million for the construction of football pitches with artificial turf nationwide.
“My ministry will put in a request to the Youth and Sports Ministry for at least two such pitches in Sarawak.”
He added that the federal-funded Aquatic Centre in Kuching would be completed next month.
“Another major project the federal government is embarking on under 10MP is Kompleks Sukan Komuniti in Mukah, now under construction and scheduled for completion by October next year.”
Mawan said under 10MP, his ministry had been allocated RM108.7 million for the development of social facilities, adding that the allocation would also be used to build new as well as repair and upgrade existing facilities.
He also informed the sitting that study on the long-term sports development masterplan had been completed this year following the passing of the Sarawak Sports Corporation Bill 2009 in the State Legislature on May 12.
“The final report contains recommendations and strategies with a detailed action plan, including key performance indicators (KPI) forSarawaksports up to year 2020,” he said.