RM20mil mini stadium for motorsports planned

By The Star

The Youth and Sports Department will be forwarding a proposal to build a RM20mil mini stadium for go-kart and mini-bike activities in Kulaijaya here.

Johor Youth, Sports and Information Committee chairman Md Jais Sarday said that a recent survey conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Research for Youth Development revealed than most youths here were interested in motorsports.

“The mini stadium is expected to accommodate about 5,000 people but the proposal depends on approval by the Economic Planning Unit,” he said yesterday.

Md Jais was replying to Datuk Halim Sulaiman (BN – Puteri Wangsa) who asked if there were plans to build mini tracks at various housing areas in the state.

“Although it is a good way to encourage youths to take up sports, we only have the capacity to conduct mini-bike clinics for now,” said Md Jais, who added that the sport could also help reduce the problem of Mat Rempit using public streets for racing.

State assembly speaker Datuk Mohd Ali Hassan drew laughter when he admitted that he was a lousy goalkeeper and quit after he failed to stop too many goals.

Mohd Ali was commenting on a question by Datuk Abdul Halim Suleiman (BN – Puteri Wangsa) who voiced concern on the decision to merge Johor FC with the Johor state team.

“Research needs to be done to boost the image of the local football scene and attract more fans to the local league,” Abdul Halim said