Latest news with #Jelajah
New Straits Times
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Dormant Jelajah Malaysia faces bleak future
KUALA LUMPUR: The future of Jelajah Malaysia — the country's oldest cycling stage race — as a UCI event remains very much in doubt. That is the view of Malaysia National Cycling Federation (MNCF) secretary Arif Astaman who admitted that it would be very difficult for any organiser to take on the event and expect to turn a profit. The tour — first held in 1963 — was last run in 2017 as a UCI 2.2 level event. An organiser did attempt to revive the race in 2023, however, cancelled the event after postponing it multiple times due to a lack of funding. "I think it is going to be very tough to make Jelajah Malaysia profitable as a UCI2.2 race," said Arif when met recently. "With Jelajah, you don't have the same calibre of riders and teams as Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) so you can't really offer sponsors the same kind of value. "But the costs to organise the race are not that much different as you still have to meet UCI standards. "This means you still have to permanently shut down roads during the event, provide hotel rooms, transportation, fuel, prize money, staging as well as sanctioning fees to the UCI. "It is tough for races like Jelajah to be in the black because we do not have domestic companies (sponsors) who have that kind of money to spend where the link to sales is not immediate. "Personally, I feel that the future of Jelajah as a UCI race remains very much in doubt. I do, however, believe it can be run successfully as a domestic race." Arif said a number of local stage races such as Tour Gateh D'Tranung, Jelajah Negri Sembilan and Tour Geo D'Kedah have proven that it is possible to run stage races sustainably at the domestic level. "Local races run under MNCF rules, which means tour organisers can ask teams to bring their own (team) cars, can place teams in hostels or just give them money to sort out their own accommodation," said Arif. "MNCF also does not set any required standard for prize money. These savings makes the costs of organsing the event much more manageable for the organisers. "The Tour Gateh D'Tranung for example, has done really well over the past few years and is now a seven or eight stage race. "I believe very much in development and we need races in which our young riders can learn to ride in a peloton. You can't replicate that in training. "If you combine the stages from the three local tours we probably have about 14 to 15 days of racing a year for our local riders. "It would be great if we could increase that to somewhere between 20 to 30 days a year. That would be fantastic. "The challenge for organisers who want to run Jelajah as a domestic event is again to find a suitable sponsor. With its name being Jelajah Malaysia, you cannot just hold it in one state."
Daily Express
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Warisan not rushing on candidates
Published on: Sunday, May 25, 2025 Published on: Sun, May 25, 2025 By: Azmie Lim Text Size: Shafie said the party will not make a hasty decision by putting candidates in all 73 State Assembly seats. LAHAD DATU: Parti Warisan will adopt a strategic and data-driven approach in choosing candidates to contest in the coming state election (PRN 17). Its President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said detailed assessment will be made based on the people's support and needs in the respective areas. He said the party will not make a hasty decision by putting candidates in all 73 State Assembly seats. "Instead we will conduct a careful assessment based on the grassroots and will not be driven by emotion or desire when making decisions. "What is more important is our engagement with the people. If there is strong public support and people want Warisan to contest, then we will contest,' he said after the Jelajah Presiden Warisan PRN 17 for Tungku on Saturday. During the tour, Shafie also launched the machinery for Tungku as a symbol of preparation to face the coming PRN 17. Advertisement According to Shafie, Warisan stands an opportunity to win in the election if the party works hard. Shafie also reaffirmed the party's decision to go solo despite the existence of various coalitions ahead of the election. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
