KUALA LUMPUR – Members of the public have questioned the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MBSJ) after its staff allegedly occupied all eight lanes of the running track at Arena MBSJ during an organised exercise session, disrupting the training of other users.
The incident, which took place at around 7am today, reportedly involved MBSJ staff participating in a brisk walking and slow jogging session as part of an initiative to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Former professional cyclist Hafidz Hamid, now a digital creator and multisport athlete specialising in duathlons, running and triathlons, said he arrived at the stadium at about 7.15am and heard an emcee instructing MBSJ staff to begin their session.
“When we arrived, at around 7am or 7.15am, we heard the emcee giving instructions to the MBSJ staff to begin their brisk walking or slow jogging session,” he told Scoop.
He said the participants subsequently occupied all eight lanes, leaving other members of the public with little room to continue their exercise.
“They occupied every single lane. There are eight lanes, but they blocked every single one,” he said.
Hafidz said he was unaware of any prior announcement about the activity, adding that he had not seen a notice on MBSJ’s website, social media platforms or at the stadium entrance.
He said runners repeatedly attempted to make their way around the group but were instead told to avoid the participants.
“We said, ‘Excuse me,’ so many times. One of them even told us to avoid them. How are we supposed to avoid them when they are occupying all the lanes?” he said.
According to Hafidz, the session lasted between 40 minutes and an hour, forcing regular users to contend with the large group occupying the track.
He said he was subsequently informed that the activity was held weekly, with different groups of MBSJ staff participating on a rotating basis.
Hafidz stressed that his objection was not to the council encouraging its employees to exercise, but to the manner in which the activity was conducted.
“The main issue is that they were not behaving ethically. It is a running track, not a recreational track,” he said.
He suggested that MBSJ could have allocated four lanes for its staff while leaving the remaining four available to members of the public, particularly faster runners and those undertaking competitive training.
“They can simply use four lanes and leave the other four lanes available,” he said.
Hafidz also claimed that runners were asked to make a U-turn because the Subang Jaya mayor was addressing participants from the grandstand and staff wanted to remain close to him.
He said MBSJ could have considered using the football field for the activity instead of occupying the entire running track.
“As a trained runner, I appreciate seeing people participating in sports. However, you need to understand the proper etiquette. It is a public facility,” he said.
Meanwhile, two other runners, who wished to be identified as Charlotte and Nicole, said they were equally caught off guard as they had not known an event was taking place at the stadium.
They said their run was interrupted when they were asked to turn back after finding the track occupied by a large group of participants.
The pair described the situation as unreasonable, claiming the participants had taken up almost the entire running area, including the middle section, leaving little room for other users.
They stressed that they had no objection to MBSJ staff using the public facility but questioned why all eight lanes had to be occupied when other members of the public were also exercising.
Charlotte and Nicole also alleged that they were stopped and told to cover up because they were wearing sports bras.
They said they had used other stadiums without encountering similar restrictions, while pointing out that male runners were often allowed to exercise without shirts.
The pair said MBSJ should have issued advance notices to inform the public about the activity, allowing regular users to plan their visits accordingly.
They also suggested that the council allocate specific time slots or reserve only part of the track for its staff instead of taking over the entire facility during a common exercise period.
Scoop has contacted MBSJ for comment on the incident, including the alleged disruption to public access at Arena MBSJ and the absence of prior notification, but had not received a response at the time of writing. – November 6, 2026