BY EUGENE MAHALINGAM

The core at Bukit Jalil is the national stadium (left) and other sports facilities surrounding it. The new job involves construction of several new facilities including a sports museum and a hall of fame to honour the sporting greats of Malaysia. It also involves refurbishment work on existing facilities. “Emphasis will be placed on the company that is able to construct the new facilities and incorporate an iconic structure into the entire complex that would make it a place for people to visit,” an official said.

PETALING JAYA: The Government wants to promote the National Sports Complex (NSC) in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur as a tourist destination not only during major sporting events.

In this respect, it has been working with the private sector to build new infrastructure and put up an iconic feature at the NSC to attract more visitors.

Sources said 11 companies have participated in a competitive tender for the construction and refurbishment works worth more than RM1bil at the NSC.

“Initially there were 15 companies but four opted out,” said a source.

It is learnt that established players in the construction industry including UEM Sunrise Bhd, IJM Corp Bhd, WCT Bhd, Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) and the Naza Group are among the companies vying for the job where the most competitive bid in terms of financials and technicals will be paid in the form of land.

“The companies have been working on the project for more than a year and it is going into the final lap before a decision is made,” said a source.

StarBiz reported last week that MRCB was among the top contenders for the NSC project. Another strong competitor is the Naza Group,

It is learnt that the project came about after the Youth and Sports Ministry embarked on a plan to make the NSC more commercial.

“The purpose of the project is to help make the NSC area a popular spot for tourists and people in general. At the moment the facilities and the area draws crowd only when there are major sporting events,” said a sports official.

“Except for the flea market at the Putra Stadium which is fairly commercialised, the other facilities only generate revenue only when there is a major sporting event,” said the official.

A key criteria for the bidders is that they have to come up with an “iconic idea” to attract people to the NSC.

The job also involves construction of several new facilities including a sports museum and a hall of fame to honour the sporting greats of Malaysia. It also involves refurbishment work on existing facilities.

“Emphasis will be placed on the company that is able to construct the new facilities and incorporate an iconic structure into the entire complex that would make it a place for people to visit,” the official said.

The main facilities at the Bukit Jalil sports complex were built 17 years ago in preparations for the Commonwealth Games. Apart from a football stadium and indoor stadium, the other facilities there are a hockey stadium, the squash centre and acquatic centre.

It is also well-connected with numerous access roads and the light rail station passing through the area.

A spokesperson from the Youth and Sports Ministry confirmed that plans to construct new facilities and refurbish the existing stadiums in Bukit Jalil were in the works.

The spokesperson, however, declined to reveal if the stadiums would be confined to just those within the NSC.

Being a mature development, land within the Bukit Jalil area, especially near the NSC, is difficult to come by.

Among the companies with land bank in the area near the Bukit Jalil sports complex is Berjaya Land Bhd, which has developed a golf course with bungalows. The bungalow parcels are going for about RM350 per sq ft.

One of the biggest developers in that area is Malton Bhd, which has 50 acres to be jointly developed with Ho Hup Construction Bhd. The plan is to build a large shopping mall called Pavilion 2.

“It is difficult to get land in the Bukit Jalil area which is why the companies are eyeing the job,” said a property developer.