OCM seek a new home to call their jewel in the crown

IF you wish to take a sneak preview at the forces which shaped our sporting fortunes, just go the Wisma OCM in Jalan Hang Jebat, or previously known as Jalan Davidson.

Officially opened by the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Azlan Shah on Dec 10, 1991, the building is owned by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) who bought it from the City Hall at RM2 per square foot, 10 times below the market price.

There are two halls named after two legends – football’s Datuk Mokhtar Dahari and hockey’s Datuk Ho Koh Chye, built under Phase 2 of the project.

The Hall of Fame, chronicling the history of Malaysia’s participation in the Olympic Games and paying homage to numerous officials throughout the decades, is a must-visit.

Wisma OCM’s main tenant is a hotel, an idea mooted by the then vice-president, Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar, that guarantees OCM a steady stream of income until today.

Iconic landmarks – the Merdeka Stadium, Stadium Negara, Chin Woo Stadium and the Malaysian Basketball Association (MABA) house – are all within walking distance.

Today Wisma OCM is in danger of being swallowed up by an unstoppable urban sprawl.

The area is no longer a national sports hub. A relocation is inevitable.

Surrounded by six schools, the building is in the middle of an over-crowded development, in contrast to the simpler days when I began my career as a rookie reporter the same year OCM moved into their home from Stadium Negara.

Opportunities for scoops and exclusive stories were aplenty as the then OCM president, Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah, was so forthcoming that he was described upon his death as a reporter’s delight by former sportswriter Randhir Singh.

As the general secretary of the Sportswriters Association of Malaysia (SAM), I sought OCM’s assistance to provide a temporary shelter after SAM sold its bungalow at Kelana Jaya in 2000.

OCM honorary secretary, the late Datuk Sieh Kok Chi, was kind enough to provide us a table between his office and Tunku Imran’s personal assistant, until a permanent office was found on the second floor.

One of the biggest and high-profile tenants was the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), who filled almost the entire first floor before the general secretary, the late Datuk Peter Velappan and his secretariat moved to the present site in Bukit Jalil in 2000.

Almost seven decades had passed since the late N. Manickavasagam, a Sri Lankan born gentleman, together with the late Eric McDonald, comptroller general of the Inland Revenue Board from 1950-1952, founded the Federation of Malaya Olympic Council (FMOC), the forerunner of OCM.

A former quarter-miler, Vasagam not only produced off-springs Harichandra, Balachandran and Dr. Jegathesan, who went on to represent the country with distinction but was basically running FMOC from the back of his Morris Minor and later Vauxhall, armed with only a typewriter.

Vasagam did not live long enough to see OCM grow from an association without a permanent office to one owning a nine-storey building valued at RM10mil in 1991.

He was succeeded by K. Aryaduray and Thong Poh Nyen, who oversaw the relocation from Stadium Negara to its present site, having served voluntarily from 1961 to 1992.

Shifting to a new home is foremost on OCM’s present president, Tan Sri Mohd Norza Zakaria’s agenda to help modernise the umbrella body often dubbed the old folks home and a glorified tour operator.

Since succeeding Tunku Imran in May 2018, Norza has gone into overdrive to shed the image that OCM are conservative and lacking in dynamism.

“I think it is only appropriate that OCM relocates to a place where they can serve the community of sports effectively and be in the thick of the action,” said Dr Jegathesan.

“OCM need to have more space to grow bigger.”

But as OCM seek new headquarters to call their jewel in the crown, Dr. Jegathesan hopes a legacy is preserved at their present home.

“In the event the Wisma OCM is demolished one day, I hope there will be a monument or a landmark constructed to remember it by.”