Ow Soon Kooi, NSTP resource centre. 1984 picAs an alumnus of SJI, I grew up admiring the school hockey teams carefully nurtured by Vincent Fernandez. They were winners, losing only occasionally to Mirnawan Nawawi's Royal Military College (RMC).
My first tournament as a young fan was the Intercontinental Cup at Merdeka Stadium, yes on grass. That was in 1981 and I was still in primary school. My late Ayah, a keen sports fan and chairman of his organisation's sports club, took me to watch with my own eyes players I knew only through the newspapers - Ow Soon Kooi, Poon Fook Loke, Surya Prakash, Colin Sta Maria...Foo Keat Seong...
The team skipper was Soon Kooi, whose technique, leadership qualities and skills were exemplary. I was in awe of him.
By the time I became a reporter, Soon Kooi who played in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the Los Angeles edition in 1984, was already mentioned in the past tense. I did bump into him once or twice but he remained elusive for an interview, until recently!
The moment I introduced myself, he broke into a wide grin. "I read your blog..." Quickly I reminded him of the 1981 game. "Yes, we lost 1-0 to the Soviets," he said.
The former policeman is now chairman of the Olympic Sports Hotel, known as the Grand Olympic Hotel under the previous management, the tenant of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).
I told Soon Kooi (I call him Tuan) the facelift was impressive.
"Now I feel as if I'm in a real hotel."
Soon Kooi even took the trouble to show me the rooms and that his company had gone to great lengths to give the place a new look.
"You see the two halls there?" he asked me.
The two newly-refurbished halls, he said, will be named after two greats - Datuk Mokhtar Dahari and Datuk Ho Koh Chye.
A fitting tribute to two legends, from a legend himself.
25 comments:
It is very honourable thing to do for these two greats of Malaysian sports,SYABAS OW.
great recognition to the 2 great athletes. i love staying at olympic hotel - nice rooms and affordable and reasonable rate.
Tahniah Ow dengan menamakan 2 dewan sempena nama 2 lagenda negara..
They deserve it..diharap banyak lagi pihak yang akan memberikan penghargaan kepada bekas2 atlit negara yang telah banyak menyumbang bakti kepada negara..
Tahniah kepada Ow dan Grand Olympic Hotel..
The hotel is now known as The Olympic Sports Hotel (managed by Waz Lian Management) and not the Grand Olympic Hotel (managed by Grand Continental Hotels Management).
I heard that each room will be named after a sports personality...
Windfall..... I address Ow as uncle
Mr Ow made a mistake by appointing someone as the operation manager. but the person was only in charge of arranging tables and chairs in Nikko Hotel (banquet assistant manager) so many staff are puzzled how he could be given that post. only time will tell ... the secret will be revealed ...
Soon kooi has come a long way from the rookie cop in the seventies. I knew him in the seventies when he was a schoolboy. Heard he is now a millionaire a few times over. I think he is the only sportsman to have entered the tycoons' league on his own steam, without state support of course.
hi ..
we have a nice point of view about the OLYMPIC SPORT HOTEL.
Under the new management we can see all the changes and the building look more nicer sand brand new.
We don't care about "WHO" is the people they are in the place..they really prove that they are CAPABLE in the task given...
WELL DONE...
Congratulations to them...
I'll gv support to them ...
hi
ow should rename the rooms to bilik sieh kok chi 1 and sieh kok chi 2, and the hotel also should change its name to pete's motel. i wonder if the govt gave the land and stuff like that to enrich itself or for ocm to help itsd affiliates. can some shed some light. in japan the noc has a uilding and the nsa s are given an officee space free of charge. what happen lah?
hi all...
yes, i heard about the Hotel Sports Olympic used to be known as "Grand Olympic"...
Congratulations to all of U...under the NEW management...
with all the efforts and ideas there's a lot of changes we can see.....
U guys make it happen!!!!
WELL DONE...
Nice hotel but lokasi agak sunyi & jauh dari shopping mall like bukit bintang area, klcc, midvalley, sogo, one utama...jln kaki letih da..daki n turun bukit till baju basah coz berpeluh bawak luggage...elok sediakan shuttle servis for athlete yang sentiasa menyokong olympic hotel sejak azali lagi...
With the new management and renovation the hotel has moved up in all its rates.
If the hotel was for the benefit of the sports affiliates and those connected to them, I would suggest to the new hotel management to have a separate price for them (sports affiliates) as many of them doesnt have the meants to pay such a high price for the use of the hotel (from the previous management).
If waz lian hotel management can't do it, perhaps I would suggest to all NSAs/SSAs to boycott the use of the Olympic Sports Hotel.
If OCM is intended to enrich themselves thru the hotel, then why should it says that they are the custodian of the sports...more like they are the custodian of the $$$ from the sports associations.
What say you, Mr. Ow?
Such a VERY GOOD comment here I CAN see..Why not you just take over this hotel and think how to pay back all the money you have dumped in for a renovation and the new looks as well as the QUALITY?!! It's like a govt and a opposition party scenario we have here..when u at the opposition party you will say all the nicest this in the name of RAKYAT, but when u ur at the other side u ur much more greedy n useless actually compared to them! maybe before you make this comment, make sure u ur not putting ur BRAIN at ur KNEE..pls read some economics n acctgs book first..for example how the hotel will survive for the rental, staff salaries, overhead cost and bla..bla..I think the price that they give is more than worth compared with the the accomodation that they offered!
Maybe waz lian made a big mistakes by renovate this hotel. they should just leave it like before with the same price like the previous 1! but then still this people that we called "VIRUS CREATURE" will make the other comments such as "the accomodation is not good LAH. the athlete willing to pay more U KNOW rather than stay in this kind of hotel and so on"
And if u ur not happy with the OCM, maybe u can send your paperwork on how to improve the welfare and future of of our sports and how to get a fund for them" rather than keep blaming others on your FAILURE!
Mr Ow does't hv a time to entertain this kind of comment since he hv so many other IMPORTANT things to do!
And to Mr Ow, i'm sorry to humilate myself for being part of this CREATURE but i think i hv to say something to this kind of SPECIES coz i know how hard and tough u hv gone through to make this thing happen...
CONGRAT'S FOR MAKE IT A REALITY!
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH the person who made the comment on August 8, 2009 2:05 AM.
Maybe some ppl dont put their brains at their knees but NO BRAINS at all...
Some ppl think money just fall from the sky or even own a money printing company for them to renovate the hotel and expect low rates from it without thinking the costs involve.
By the way, TALK IS CHEAP!!! Why not just put urself in the position of the hotel to think and crack your head to improve the hotel.
Unless u urself are already in the position where the money are falling from the sky and expecting more from it.
If only their orginal lease would have remain as RM45k and not RM76K altered. Then the same price would have remain.
Money doesnt grow on trees eventhough we have a money plant and neither does it fall from the sky, how we wished for! But please do not be callous in regards of sports...without it there wouldnt be an OCM to start with and the hotel would not have existed.
With the present economics, many of the sports associations (not in the elite or core sports) are trying hard to make ends meet. No sponsors or even government assistance. Phps if the hotel could just have a separate rate for sports associations and their walk-in customers that would be a win-win situation for all concerned.
With the current political situation in the country...the small ppl in sports are also learning to speak up...Ya Talk is Cheap...and by talking to many these will even bring down any empires if you have not learn from history!
Mr Ow and Waz Lian has done a good job indeed...in making the hotel look like a real hotel (now it even look like a kindie minus the children's playground) but that's a different matter.
What I'm asking for is a separate rates for sports associations who can't really afford the price hike.
The Hotel may not have the heart but the people who are there MUST have the heart don't they? Unless of course they are just heartless people who only thinks of the $$$ (to recover back their investments, pay salary and to pay kickbacks to....)
What say you Mr. Ow....could you come up with a separate rate for the sports associations who are not in the elite or core list? Is it that hard to ask for?
As someone who has inside knowledge of the goings-on, I feel compelled to provide some further information. Most comment have been fair but there are some who are obviously ill-informed. For instance:
1. Waz Lian Hotel Mgt is paying RM75,000 per month as rental to OCM. That's more than 100 per cent by the previous tenant who paid RM34,000.
2. Waz Lian has so far spent in excess of RM6m in renovations and refurbishment. The changes are obvious. There has been a facelift of the building's exteriors and there's certainly better ambiance at the lobby and coffeehouse.
3. Waz Lian has already paid rentals to OCM till the end of the year with post-dated cheques.
The fact is, that Waz Lian are model tenants. It will take them at least 6-8 years to recover their investment, let alone profit from it. True, the hotel rates will be increased, perhaps marginally. But we must understand this is a business proposition. The bottom-line is to make a profit. It is not charity-based. There are salaries to pay, bills and utilities to keep up with, etc.
Sieh Kok chi has obviously driven a hard bargain in getting the RM75k rental and as such, not the demon some people are trying to make him look like. Ow Soon Kooi is a self-made millionaire, a rare breed of Malaysian sportsmen. He has already done his national service, having played for the country for close to 12 years and also serving in the Police force. To expect him to do further national service by giving throw-away hotel rates is just expecting too much. There is also no such thing as the perfect location. A hotel cannot be close to all the major streets, tourist spots and shopping complexes. You will lose some and win some. To Ow Soon Kooi, I have these final words -- there will always be detractors. No matter how fair you are there will be someone who will find something to complain about. That's simply human nature. Well done, Ow Soon Kooi. Keep your chin up.
Thank you Anon 4.50pm or should I say DSKC for your justification.
Many to be made on the poor sports associations. Phps thats the reasons that sports will never thrive in Malaysia! With so many vultures around waiting to pick off all the sports associations.
hye all.its anonymous again..but NOT SAME WITH THE ABOVE..hahaha...got this blog info from friend of mine.Stayed Olympic Hotel last beautiful Saturday. This a few suggestion. Upgrade your food as you upgrade your rate.Why 'bangladesh' staff at the reception???hm..i guest ur side cannot hire Malaysian coz it will cost u more as you need more money to cover up your renovation..haaa..event budget hotel not hire foreigners for front counter.. But your rooms is marvelous..any hotel after renovation is WOW including yours..but please look after the aircond..anyway..all the best for Olympic Hotel!!Keep upgrading!!
P/S : Read all the comment above..hahaha...what i can see is why so many 'ANONYMOUS' try to BODEK n KIPAS this 'Mr. Ow'??He is this hotel owner isn't he??? I CAN SEE WHY...hahahaha...pity him
Kalau ada cadangan hendak lantik hotel manager lepas ini, lantiklah orang yang ada pengalaman. Kalau setakat berbangga dan berlagak dari hotel 5***** tapi pengalaman setakat tahu lap garpu dan sudu, baik tak payah, buang masa dan karen je...Dahlah bayar gaji mahal.
Is it true that at this hotel is where u can find china dolls with their old clients renting for their short tryst?
Oh mr ow...you of all person allowing this to happen there...please don't tell me its all for the name of busine$$.... a cheapo hotel for $ex fling$.
Anyone care to read about Waz Lian in Malaysia-Today? You will be surprised.
Since the article is somehow missing, try looking for it here:
http://newkopitiam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=21589&sid=cda7254050e0a607af0695d5e660ded2
The New Operation Manager of Olympic Hotel have done a good job of changing the Hotel looks much more better than previous...WELL DONE AND KEEP IT UP THE GOOD WORK...
The new management is a good choice...but the old staff need to change to be better one because the mentality was not the the hotel standard, cannot accept the good changes...in life you have to change the better life instead just stay at the old shoes....
Lap garpu and arranging table sometimes is much more batter than peolpe who just only know to talk and just stay put without any changes in their life...what a waste hv that type of staff....
Kenapa tak belajar bersyukur...but hope the New management will not give up...sebaliknye...buatkan perubahan yg terbaik demi masa depan OLYMPIC HOTEL KUALA LUMPUR...the choosen of the new Operation Manager is a good choice because we have seen the new changes of the upgraded accomodation and the food...fuh..wonderfull....but the staff please improve of the service....now a days business is all about the services not the management...
Is there any difference between a apple iphone and a 3G one? Which one is better? And what's so good about iPhone?
________________
[url=http://unlockiphone22.com]unlock iphone[/url]
Post a Comment