SHAH ALAM, Sept 2 — Badminton and petanque have a strategic advantage to become Ampang Jaya Municipal Council’s (MPAJ) focus sports if the ‘one sport, one local council’ concept outlined under the Second Selangor Plan (RS-2) is implemented.
MPAJ said the proposal was based on the suitability of existing facilities, strong community interest and an established talent development ecosystem with the potential to produce athletes capable of competing at state, national and international levels.
It said badminton, in particular, already has a solid foundation in Ampang Jaya through the Ampang Jaya Badminton Club (AJBC) and several badminton academies in the area that provide structured training from grassroots to high-performance levels.
“A more significant advantage is the presence of the Ampang Jaya Badminton Club and several badminton academies in the Ampang area, which provide structured training from the basic level through to high-performance development.
“AJBC has said it currently has about 160 players undergoing training, while its coaching team includes former national players and coaches certified by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
“Its high-performance development programme also has a track record of developing players to the state level, as well as those who have progressed to national and international levels,” MPAJ told Media Selangor.
The council said Ampang Jaya also has an extensive network of community sports facilities. In the Lembah Jaya state constituency alone, there are 47 playground sites equipped with various courts and sporting facilities.
Petanque, meanwhile, is among the development sports that have also received MPAJ’s attention.
“At the Statutory Bodies Beach Games (SUPANUN), the MPAJ team competed in petanque and finished third, demonstrating the sport’s considerable potential for further development in Ampang Jaya.
“MPAJ sees ample room to further develop the talent and potential of participants, particularly among Ampang Jaya residents, so they can progress to higher levels,” it said.
MPAJ said that if badminton and petanque were selected as its focus sports, the council would not have to build their respective sporting ecosystems from scratch, as the basic facilities, community interest, clubs, coaches and foundations for athlete development are already in place.
It said the council could instead focus on coordinating, strengthening and expanding the existing ecosystem through more structured talent development programmes and strategic collaborations with sports associations, schools and local academies.
“This approach will not only increase community participation in sports but also has the potential to produce more high-performance athletes from Ampang Jaya who can represent Selangor and Malaysia in the future,” it said.
When tabling RS-2, Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the state government would build on the momentum of hosting the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) by emphasising the ‘one sport, one local council’ concept to encourage Selangor residents to embrace an active lifestyle.
He said the initiative would formalise community sports development at the local council level while strengthening the grassroots sports ecosystem in an integrated manner.
