8 years in the making: KL international school unveils RM100 mil sports complex

An Olympic-sized swimming pool. Two full-length indoor basketball courts. Two tennis courts. A fully equipped gym and fitness suite. A FIFA-standard youth football field.

These are all facilities found in the new state-of-the-art sports complex at Garden International School (GIS), located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Spanning five levels and 200,000 square feet, the newest addition to the GIS campus was officially unveiled to the public on November 12 during a launch officiated by Hannah Yeoh, Member of Parliament for Segambut as well as the Youth and Sports Minister.

According to BK Gan, President and CEO of Taylor’s Schools, the sports complex’s launch was a tremendous feat, especially as it has been eight years in the making. Beyond addressing the sporting needs and desires of students, the complex also address long-standing traffic challenges with its underground car park, offering improved access points to the surrounding roads as well as comfortable drop-off and pick-up areas for parents and students.

“This project reflects our entrepreneurial mindset in action; identifying a need, exploring innovative options, and delivering a solution that benefits everyone. It’s the same problem-solving spirit we aim to instil in our students,” Gan said at the ceremony.

A look at Garden International School’s Olympic-sized swimming pool. Source: Study International

Developing Malaysia’s sports quality overall

By investing into these facilities, GIS is allowing their student athletes to have a space to level up and hone their abilities.

In an interview with Study International, Peter J. Derby-Crook, the Principal of Garden International School, also shared that it’s not just for the students who are exceptional in certain sports, but for all sorts of students to explore various sports and play together.

“Not only do we want to nurture the children who have that top, elite ability, it’s about participation. Every child should do sports. It’s good for your health, it’s good for your mind,” he says. “We’re nurturing and preparing them for life by embedding sporting activities in their lives so they don’t see it as an add-on, or something you do when you have nothing else to do.”

And it’s not just about GIS students. The school has opened its swimming pool and sports hall to the public to support the local neighbourhood’s active lifestyle goals and contribute towards growing sports at a grassroots level.

Plus, Olympic-size swimming pools are hard to come by in Malaysia, and the fact that GIS has one means that athletes outside of the school can possibly have a better, more convenient location to train.

While privately funded, GIS’s investment complements the government’s vision to position sports as a catalyst for national growth, underscored by the RM580 million allocation in Budget 2026.

Minister Hannah Yeoh also said at the launch that she hopes the school will consider hosting activities and competitions for the wider public at its facilities as well.

BK Gan, the President and CEO of Taylor’s Schools, talking to journalists at the Garden International School event. Source: Study International

It’s enhancement, not expansion

Despite these major infrastructure investments, GIS remains committed to maintaining its enrolment size.

“We are not increasing student capacity,” Gan said at the event. “This isn’t about expansion, it’s about enhancement. We’re investing in quality, not quantity, to ensure every student continues to receive the best possible journey in education.”

Aside from the sports complex, GIS is also investing another RM85 million for the upcoming Performing Arts Centre in Phase 2 of their GIS Campus Reimagined initiative. This will further deepen and broaden the school’s learning environment.

Founded in 1951, GIS is one of Malaysia’s oldest and largest British international schools, offering education from Early Years to A Levels. The school operates under Taylor’s Schools, a platform of six schools across Singapore and Malaysia.