KUALA NERUS: The Terengganu state government will re-establish the State Sports Institute (SSI) to strengthen and spur its sports industry, said Menteri Besar Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
He said the proposal on the matter would be tabled in a meeting of the State Executive Councilor in the near future.
“The closure of SSI which was previously under the purview of the National Sports Institute (NSI), had in a way derailed the sports planning in the state.
“Hence, we want to re-establish the institute and InsyaAllah (God willing) we will try to get the best expertise in terms of trainers who have served the National Sports Institute,” he said when met after the Terengganu State Sports Awards 2018 at the Gong Badak Indoor Stadium last night (Monday).
He said the proposed re-establishment of ISN at the Gong Badak Sports Complex was estimated to cost between RM3 million and RM4 million for the purchase of equipment and sports facilities.
Ahmad Samsuri said the state government was actively pursuing discussions with interested sponsors with expertise in sports.
“If we can’t afford to provide all the equipment at the same time, maybe we will do it in stages.
“Our focus and preparation are certainly to face major sports event such as the 2020 Malaysia Games (Sukma),” he said. Bernama