by Rosli Mansor
A total of 90 athletes from all over Asia, including Malaysia, competed in the 2022 Asia Triathlon Cup (ATC), which opened today, at Silverlake Village Outlet Batu Gajah.
The President of the Perak Triathlon Association and the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Dr Khoo Peng Chuan, said that his side was excited to welcome the arrival of the participants who began to camp in Ipoh, since last Thursday.
“Of course, we as organisers look forward to the presence of participants, both from within and outside the country.
“Planning has been going on since last year, so it’s time we welcome them with pride.
“Even though the date of this ATC had to be moved back a week following the 15th General Election (GE15), I was happy to see the presence of many participants from abroad.
“This proves that this event is still able to attract participants from abroad even if it is held outside of Kuala Lumpur. As organisers, we are very pleased with the presence of participants who took part,” he said.
He said this in a media statement on Saturday.
Also present were, General Manager of Tourism Perak, Zuraida Md Taib; President of the Malaysian Triathlon Association, Tony Tan and Chief Executive Officer of Stagemaker Sdn Bhd, Emir Abdul Jalal.
Peng Chuan said, as the host of the final stage of ATC 2022, Perak was chosen as the organising location jointly organised by the Malaysian Triathlon Association and the Perak Triathlon Association in collaboration with Stagemaker Sdn Bhd.
A total of six main categories were contested at the ATC this time, involving elite men and women aged 23 years and above; age group 19 to 23 years and age group 16 to 19 years.
“Each participant will go through three different sports disciplines or challenges starting with swimming for 750 metres (m) followed by cycling with a distance covering 20 kilometres (km) before the competition ends with a 5km run,” he said.
Commenting further, he said that the organisation of the ATC, which is considered a prestigious tournament in the Asian region, is proof that Malaysia is able to attract participants from abroad to participate.
“The sport of triathlon has started to grow in this country. So I hope that by organising the ATC in Perak, it will open the eyes of many parties to see this sport that is quite synonymous with physical endurance,” he said.
Meanwhile, the President of the Malaysian Triathlon Association, Tony Tan Beng Hong said, the presence of many participants from abroad indirectly boosted the spirit of the Malaysian representatives to be more competitive.
“This is an opportunity for some national athletes to compete with famous participants from abroad.
“This ATC is also the best field for us to evaluate the performance of national athletes before they face two sports games next year, namely the SEA Games in Cambodia and the Junior Commonwealth Games in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.
