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KOTA TINGGI – The Desaru Coast management has signed a three-year contract with one of the world’s toughest triathlons, Ironman, securing plans to host more multisport festivals in the future.
Speaking to members of the media, Desaru Coast managing director and CEO Roslina Arbak said, “We are looking forward to working with them (Ironman) more in the coming years.
“There are a lot of successes and learnings that we will take from the current event going on and I can’t thank the Ironman team enough for their professionalism in handling the event.”
Coupled with the scenic location of Desaru Coast, Roslina hopes more international events land on the shores as the location has already played host to several big-name occasions.
“We recently had the L’Etape Malaysia cycling race by Tour de France here, which we are in discussion with them for next year, and now we’re in the midst of Ironman.
“This shows that Desaru Coast can be a good host and become a platform to host more international events,” she added.
Meanwhile, Ironman Asia regional director CG Lim said they are delighted with how the event has turned out, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
“It certainly is not easy. After two years of being postponed, we had very short notice to prepare for it when the government lifted the sanction for events.
“We only had a few months to engage with the government, all the stakeholders, and also the hotels in the area to figure everything out.
“But we are very happy with how things turned out,” he said.
He also added that to attract more new participants to the triathlon, Ironman intends to conduct clinics that gradually train newcomers and introduce them to triathlon sports.
Ironman Asia managing director Jeff Edwards noted that the event saw many new faces.
“You can see a lot of first timers here, many participating in their first triathlon. The seasoned returnees are surely anxious to make their Ironman return.
“Having it here in Desaru Coast is absolutely the benchmark for the next event. We wanted to do a good job first time around and provide everyone with the best experience,” he said. – The Vibes, July 23, 2022.
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