Sports facilities in Malaysia : the impacts to urban environments /Dasimah Omar and Maassoumeh Barghchi

Currently there is tremendous interest in sport in Malaysia, although sport has only
been considered as an industry in the last ten years. Sports facilities have improved
rapidly, especially after the country hosted the 16th
Commonwealth Games in 1998.
Internationally, sports facilities are viewed as playing a new role in cities as catalysts
for urban development or to regenerate decaying area of the cities. Such a role also
provides better justification for public investment, since the provision of sports
facilities requires huge amounts of money for construction, ancillary needs and
maintenance. The increase in the amount of public money being spent on sports
facilities in Malaysia and the proliferation of sports facilities in the country necessitate
an investigation into the wider issue of potential benefits related to the development of
sports facilities. The aim of this research was to study some existing sports facilities in
Malaysia and to examine their impacts on urban environment. The research focused
on the main sports facilities at state level in Malaysia. The findings revealed that there
is a new trend in sports facilities construction in Malaysia which started in the mid-
1990s. This has been for hosting events, to develop harmony and unite people in line
with the Vision 2020 nation-building program and to create a sports culture in the
country. The required sports facilities are decided according to urban hierarchies, the
National Sports Policy provided by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the budget
allocation for sports through five-year plans. While the Federal Government provides
money for the construction of sports facilities, State and Local Governments each
provide land and layout, respectively. The results of the town planners' perceptions
survey were able to demonstrate the relationship of sports facilities to the urban
environment. It is hoped that the study will provide a new perspective and new
approach to realising the potential benefits of sports facilities development in
Malaysia. Finally, the research adds more knowledge to the literature on sports
facilities development, especially in Malaysia.