The opening stage of 2020 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) cycling race in Kuching.- ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE / THE STAR
PETALING JAYA: The Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) will go ahead as planned from Sept 23-30 but Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) vice president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill will get further clarification on why it is absent from this year's calendar.
World governing body UCI has excluded the country's biggest road cycling event, which clashes with the Hangzhou Asian Games from Sept 23-Oct 8, on the calendar for this year.
Amarjit, when contacted, stated that he will be in Glasgow in two days to attend a meeting with the UCI and that the meeting will provide an opportunity to get further clarification regarding the absence of LTdL from the sports calendar.
"We have a council management meeting there (Glasgow). I will go there for the World Track Cycling Championships as well (in early August). Let me get a better picture (on LTdL missing from the UCI calendar) when I go there," said Amarjit.
MNCF president Datuk Abu Samah Wahab at the launch earlier this month had expressed his concern that LTdL may not be able to take place next year due to overdue payments not made by the previous organizers.
It turned out that UCI acted earlier on the concerns after teams complained to the world body.
It is believed the total overdue payments amounts to more than RM1 involving five competing teams.
For the record, Human Voyage (M) Sdn Bhd was the organizer of LTdL from 2019 to last year.
"From what I know, Datuk Abu Samah informed before that UCI has written about some debts that need to be paid and if not, it will leave an impact on the 2024 registration. We will wait and see.
"Whether it's on the calendar or not on the calendar, the race will continue for 2023. That's for sure. But as to why it's not on the calendar or what, I have to check on that."
