KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- Langkawi may be included again as one of the stages of the prestigious Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) cycling race next year, said Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari.
He said the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) would make every effort to realise the proposal.
The duty-free island was not included in this year's LTdL route due to budget constraints following the Government's cost-cutting measures in response to the global supply crisis, he said.
“We need to implement cost-saving measures and scale down the LTdL a little this year. If we include Langkawi in the route, the cost would be quite high, especially in terms of transportation,” he said.
Dr Mohammed Taufiq said this when winding up the debate on the Sports Development (Amendment) Bill 2026 in the Dewan Rakyat today.
The Bill was subsequently passed without amendments by a voice vote after being debated by 31 government and opposition MPs.
Earlier during the debate, Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi) questioned why the race route involving Langkawi, which is synonymous with the LTdL brand, was not included in the 2026 edition.
Meanwhile, Dr Mohammed Taufiq said the issue of setting the participation age limit for Para SUKMA athletes at between 12 and 40 would be discussed again at the SUKMA Supreme Committee meeting at the end of this year.
He said the matter would be discussed thoroughly with stakeholders, including state youth and sports executive councillors, state youth ministers, the National Sports Council, National Sports Institute, Malaysian Paralympic Council and Olympic Council of Malaysia.
“The age limit that was finalised previously was to ensure that we have a larger pool of emerging athletes and to give these (young) athletes exposure so that they gain early experience in major Games and eventually represent the country.
“We do not want there to be a vacuum period between athletes who have reached peak performance and those who are developing their talent,” he said in response to a suggestion by Datuk Willie Mongin (GPS-Puncak Borneo) that Para SUKMA athlete eligibility be determined based on performance and health status without taking age into consideration.
The sitting was adjourned until 10 am tomorrow.
-- BERNAMA