KL gears up to host its biggest ever sporting bash
KL gears up to host its biggest ever sporting bash
By Gwen Benjamin
KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): With less than two weeks to go, Kuala
Lumpur is frenziedly sprucing itself up to play host to
Malaysia's biggest-ever sporting bash -- the 16th Commonwealth
Games.
Potholes are being paved over, palm trees are springing up
along highways, grimy buildings have been painted and clogged
drains are being cleaned out.
Surely taxi drivers are being told to watch their behavior,
policemen are learning English, and flat dwellers are being
advised not to hang unsightly laundry from their balconies during
the games.
Banners of the games' orangutan mascot, "Wira", which means
"warrior" in Malay, are fluttering throughout the city, while the
theme song "Let's Make It Great" is blared daily on television.
The Commonwealth Games will be staged in Kuala Lumpur from
Sep. 11 to Sep. 21, and 6,000 athletes and officials from 70
member nations and British territories have promised to come.
With an estimated 500 million worldwide television viewership,
Malaysia, which has never hosted a sporting event of such
magnitude, is anxious for the games to run smoothly so that
national pride is upheld.
"God willing, if the games are a success, the whole world will
look up to us," said Youth and Sports Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
Malaysia is the first Asian country to host the quadrennial
games of Britain and her ex-colonies. Begun in 1930, the event is
known more as a friendly sporting meet than for shattering world
records.
The Commonwealth Federation, headed by Britain's Queen
Elizabeth, comprises 53 sovereign nations, with the rest being
British dependencies and territories.
The Kuala Lumpur Games will see a record number of competitors
taking part in 15 events: athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling,
gymnastics, lawn bowls, bowling, shooting, swimming and weight-
lifting, while hockey, squash, cricket, netball and rugby will be
played for the first time.
Unlike previous games, Queen Elizabeth will not be opening the
games on the night of Sep. 11 at the 100,000-seat National Sports
Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
It will be opened by Malaysia's own king, Ja'afar Abdul
Rahman, while the queen, who will visit Malaysia from Sep. 20 to
Sep. 23, will close the games.
About 800 million ringgit (US$190.9 million) has been spent to
build and upgrade facilities for the 15 events, but the bulk of
expenditure has been borne by private companies. This includes
the 561 million ringgit Bukit Jalil main stadium and aquatics
center which was built by a local firm in exchange for prime
state land.
Athletes will stay in three, 30-story tower blocks of fully
air-conditioned apartments in the nearby Games Village. The flats
will be sold to locals after the games.
The facilities have been built, but rushed jobs by contractors
have caused problems such as leaky roofs and poor lighting in
some venues. A cricket ground was rejected for not meeting
international standards, while cyclists complain about the track
at the velodrome.
Malaysia's current economic crisis has also bitten into the
games' budget. "The events will be staged according to the
original plan, but it may not be held on a grand scale especially
the opening ceremony," said minister Muhyiddin.
Sukom, the Malaysian organizing committee, trimmed costs by
slashing its 310 million ringgit budget to 263.5 million ringgit.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has urged Malaysians to flock
to the games and ignore the economic crisis while the games are
on.
"Forget the economic crisis that keeps bothering the prime
minister. Leave that to me. You concentrate on making the
Commonwealth Games a success," he told Malaysian at a recent
sports carnival.