Repairs to the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium which suffered a roof collapse on June 2, 2009, will begin early next year, said Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Said.
He said the state government decided to go ahead with the repairs as much damage had occurred due to prolonged neglect.
“We will repair the football field first early next year before doing up the roof,” he told reporters yesterday.
The roof at the grand stand above the royal box collapsed just one year after the stadium was used for the Malaysia Games in 2008.
Besides the football field, the stadium also has a squash court and a bowling alley.
Ahmad said the repair work would take some time because much of the structure was damaged and there was a need for a new design.
“We will not go for a normal roof. We may decide on a roof similar to that at the Bukit Jalil Stadium (in Kuala Lumpur), which is of much lighter material,” he said.
He also said that the cost of repairing the football field and the roof has yet to be determined.
Ahmad said that after the field is ready, football matches can be held at the stadium but only during the day as there is some problem with the floodlights.
The Public Works Department (JKR) will issue a tender for the repair work soon, he said.
– Bernama
Sashidaran Gunathevan
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