The Facilities at Putra Stadium and Beyond

Once it was resolved that the World Cup would be coming to the Putra Stadium it was time to focus energy on the setup of the facilities.

Winton explained that the building was built in 1998 for the Commonwealth Games and was set up as a sports venue with everything very separate. As such, there was no need for those on different floors to access the other areas. So, they were starting out with a building that didn’t allow for people to easily get around. For instance, the media are at photo spots, in working press areas, down by the schooling ring, at the ingate and in the arena for presentations. Getting to those various locations is a challenge.

While it may have posed some problems for the people, the horses have been served well by this setup. What was once a gymnastic area was converted into the stabling facility that all the competitors and their staff are raving about. The stalls are roomy, the air conditioning plentiful, the horses are happy and the people in charge of the stable can’t do enough for the staff behind each horse.

Having happy horses and people is important to the Malaysians. “We’ve tried very hard to make this good,” explained Winton. While there are a few quirks here and there, they achieved their goal and continue to try to improve upon everything as best they can.

It’s not just the stables that are nice. The indoor arena is as it should be and the footing has received much praise by the riders. For the media the setup is also quite good. The media are permitted access to wherever they need to be and a good sized staff is there to help.