Minister of Youth and Sports Supports The Idea of Relocation for Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) Headquarters

Wednesday, 29th March 2023: The Minister of Youth and Sports, Y.B. Hannah Yeoh, is supportive of the idea of the headquarters of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) being relocated after a visit at the Wisma OCM today.

Y.B. Hannah who was accompanied by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ts. Dr. Nagulendran Kangayatkarasu, said the relocation is crucial due to the existing issues surrounding the building which is located at the heart of the city.

The nine-storey Wisma OCM, situated opposite Stadium Negara, was built in 1991 on the initiative of the administration of the late Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah. The launch was officiated by the Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong IX Sultan Azlan Shah on Tuesday, 10th December 1991.

Y.B. Hannah was welcomed by the President of OCM, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri (Dr.) Mohamad Norza Zakaria, and members of the OCM Executive Board.

After being given a brief history of OCM and its role, Y.B. Hannah was taken on a tour of the Wisma OCM and the offices of the National Sports Associations (NSAs) and State Sports Associations (SSAs) located on the first and second floors. She entered the offices of the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) and the Taekwondo Malaysia (WTF) to have a look at the working environment of both NSAs. She was also given a tour to the facilities within the OCM Indoor Sports Complex namely the Tan Sri Hamzah Arena, the Tan Sri Hamzah Gallery, the Training Hall and the OCM Sports Museum and Hall of Fame.

“We took the opportunity to update Y.B. Hannah on our plans to relocate, as a follow-through to our proposal which was presented to the Ministry on 2nd March 2023”,

“Y.B. Hannah was given the opportunity to see for herself how we and some of the National Sports Associations operate within Wisma OCM”,

“The need to relocate is paramount due to the existing circumstances surrounding the Wisma OCM. We have identified a suitable location at Bukit Jalil and we have gone through the Request for Proposal (RFP) from potential developers. The plan is to construct a sustainable building with green technology, similar to the IOC Headquarters, the Olympic House, in Lausanne, Switzerland” said Tan Sri Dr. Norza.

On top of the building’s worn-down state, Wisma OCM is located right smack in the middle of Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur, leading to traffic congestion due to the presence of 6 schools namely SMK Victoria (Victoria Institution), SJKC Jalan Davidson, SMK (L) Methodist, SK (L) Methodist, SMJK Confucian and SM Confucian (Private).

In the Press conference held after the visit, Y.B. Hannah supported the idea of a relocation for OCM as the 33-year-old building had served its purpose as an effective administrative hub for the past three decades.

“A few weeks ago OCM had submitted the proposal for relocation to Bukit Jalil and this visit is intended for me to see for myself the existing constraints they operate under as well as to complete our information gathering process on the need for the relocation. I have to concur with OCM that this location is no longer feasible for OCM to function effectively. I also agree that OCM has to be located at the Kuala Lumpur Sports City. We have to look at the long term, 20 years and 30 years from today”,

“The Ministry will study the OCM proposal and begin the process of getting the necessary feedback and potential development model. Sports require modernisation and it should start with the infrastructure followed by administration and management,” said Y.B. Hannah.