THE leaking roof incident during the first-round match of the Malaysia Open 2025 at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday is deeply shameful and should not have happened, said an MCA Youth leader.
Calling on the Youth and Sports Ministry to provide an explanation, its deputy chairman Mike Chong Yew Chuan said the incident raises concerns about the safety of those in the stadium, and could have been prevented with proper planning and preparation.
“This is not the first time sports facilities have been damaged or encountered issues during international events. A prime example is the 2023 Merdeka Football Festival where the supposedly newly turfed pitch, which costs almost RM4.8 bil, had large chunks of grass torn up by the end of the match, disrupting play at times,” he lamented.
“There is also the issue with the National Hockey Stadium where sports events clashed with concerts, raising concerns about potential damage to the pitch prior to upcoming matches.”
Chong said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh must not simply apologise and move on.
“Instead, she must give assurance that these embarrassing incidents will not happen again, especially during international events where the eyes of the world are on our country,” he added.
Chong went on to urge a further explanation regarding the damage to Axiata Arena and other sports infrastructures, asking if Yeoh’s ministry had failed to secure adequate allocations from the government to maintain and improve the facilities.
“If funds were available, why are the facilities still in disrepair? If funding was not available, why did the Youth and Sports Ministry fail to obtain it?”
On Tuesday (Jan 7), Bernama reported that a downpour had resulted in water seeping through the roof of Axiata Arena, with water affecting Courts 2 and 3.
The organisers could be seen using cloths to wipe the courts dry.
Malaysia Stadium Corporation (PSM) issued an apology yesterday (Jan 8), with its CEO Ilyas Jamil attributing the leakage to roof replacement work carried out at the Axiata Arena since last April.
He said the inclement weather, coupled with strong winds, made the situation worse and led to rainwater leaking onto the courts.
Ten personnel from PSM and several contractors have since been assigned to be on standby throughout the badminton tournament to ensure that the incident does not recur.
PSM said the Public Works Department (JKR) and the contractors are also cooperating to carry out the necessary repairs which are currently underway. – Jan 9, 2025
