Sporting advantage for Educity@Iskandar

19 February 2010 , By New Straits Times

If you are game, drop by the Educity@Iskandar’s sports complex when it opens next year and check out its world-class facilities, wirtes ANIS IBRAHIM

Come next year, a new sports complex, complete with a stadium, aquatic centre and indoor arena, will be unveiled at Educity@Iskandar.

Its completion, scheduled for September 2011, is timed to coincide with the opening of the Newcastle University Medical Malaysia (NuMED) campus, the first project to be completed in EduCity.
Judging from the range of faculties which will be available, students in EduCity will be leading healthy lives.

The stadium in the RM95.32 million complex will have a seating capacity of 14,000, a soccercum-rugby pitch and a 400-metre athletic track complying with the Association of Athletics Federation standards.

The aquatic centre will come complete with Olympic-size swimming and diving pools which meet the Federation Internationale’ de Natalion (Fina), or the International Swimming Federation’s standards for water polo and synchronised swimming.

For those who enjoy team sports, there will be a choice of indoor or outdoor courts for basketball, badminton, volleyball and futsal, while for those who like squash there are three squash courts.

The sports complex is being built by Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB), Khazanah Nasional Bhd’s investment arm which develops projects for Iskandar Malaysia, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Education@Iskandar Bhd.
The project is part of IIB’s EduCity project, a world-class education hub within the development corridor.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the sports complex was carried out recently in Nusajaya by Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin, who is also deputy prime minister, said he was happy with the progress of Iskandar Malaysia. The development corridor, he said, had attracted RM55.5 billion in investment and created 44,000 jobs.

“I’m pleased with the progress and would like to congratulate those involved in the work and administration of Iskandar Malaysia.”

Muhyiddin said it was important for IIB to continues its efforts towards achieving the main objective of Iskandar Malaysia, which is to enhance the wellbeing of Malaysians.

“In their zeal to attract foreign investors, I hope the locals will not be forgotten,” he said.

Also present at the event were Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, Khazanah Nasional Bhd managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, IIB chief executive officer Arlida Ariff and Iskandar Regional Development Authority chief executive officer Ismail Ibrahim.

Arlida, who is also the Education@Iskandar chairman, said the sports facilities are also open to the public.

“Although initially developed to cater to students in EduCity, the stadium and sports complex will be made available to the local community so that they can enjoy the high-quality facilities in their own backyard.

In the future, sporting and public events will be held at the complex.

Conceptualization, design work and construction of the complex will be managed by established Malaysian companies.

With its distinctive architectural design of a clam shell roof, the complex will be a distinguishing landmark, clearly visible from the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link highway.

The ground-breaking ceremony was also witnessed by three Johor-born gold medal athletes – long-distance runner M. Ramachandran (SEA Games 1993), sprinter Nordin Jadi (SEA Games 1985, 1987 and 1989) and taekwondo exponent Lau Choo Boon (SEA Games 1089).

To emulate the spirit of the Olympics, the athletes did a mini torch run, after which the torch was handed over to Muhyiddin who lighted a mini cauldron to mark the momentous occasion.

“I’m proud to witness the birth of the sports complex.

“With such facilities of international standard, I’m sure our future sportsmen will be able to win more gold medals, hopefully with the potential of future SEA Games to be held in Iskandar Malaysia,” said Ramachandran, who still holds the national record for the 5,000 metre run.