KUALA LUMPUR: Despite the concerns raised by the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) and members of the public recently, the privatisation of the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in Jalan Duta will go on as planned.
Malaysia Stadium Corporation (PSM) confirmed that it has already selected a company, a private tennis academy, to take over the venue and is set to make an official announcement next week.
Its chief executive officer Azman Fahmi Osman said PSM are happy with the proposal by the academy and that the privatisation will not affect LTAM and public usage.
"We did our final round of presentations recently where LTAM where also invited to watch and discuss any concerns they had," said Azman.
"The academy we had selected have agreed to LTAM's wishes to be given priority in terms of court usage, which is the main concern LTAM had over the privatisation.
"LTAM president Mirzan Mahathir and secretary Rahizam Rahim attended the presentation and there were no objections from them.
"The academy must also allow Wheelchair Tennis Malaysia and the public to use the courts at NTC. They cannot increase court rentals without obtaining our approval first.
“These are some of the conditions we have set. We will make an official announcement next week as we are finalising a few details including a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) which the academy must agree on."
Though he declined to reveal the academy, Azman disclosed that it is a reputable name in local tennis which he believes will impact the sport in a positive way.
"The academy have made it clear that they are more than happy to work with LTAM and also to have some their players sparring with the national team.
"However, I am not sure if LTAM are willing to work with them,” he added.