Penang Govt to take over bridge marathon

The state government is planning to take over the organising of the Penang Bridge Marathon this year following its cancellation by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM).

State Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang said the state had sought permission from the LLM to hold the event.

"We have yet to fix the date as we need to liaise with the International Marathon Council first so that it won't clash with other events," he said Friday.

Malaysian Highway Authority director-general Datuk Mohamad Razali Othman had on May 11 announced that the run was cancelled due to financial and manpower constraints.

A week later, Law told reporters that Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said expressed her disappointment with the cancellation of the event, as it had been successful in attracting both local and foreign participants in past years.

Law was speaking at a press conference to announce the sponsorship of A Cultural Charity Night with Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas in conjunction with the governor's birthday.

He said E&O Penang and Hunza Properties (Penang) Sdn Bhd were each sponsoring RM300,000 for the event, organised by Taglink Group.

He said the state hoped to raise RM2mil in aid of the TYT Disaster Relief Fund, several charity organisations, the 6th International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championship (IDBF CCWC) to be held in the state from July 31 to Aug 4, and the Penang Bridge Marathon.

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