KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) is open to partnerships with state governments in organising next year’s Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL). Minister Hannah Yeoh said the collaboration aims to prioritise the development of cycling sports while also boosting tourism in the participating states.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Minister Yeoh expressed her openness to receiving financial support, facilities, or other services from the state governments due to budget constraints. She highlighted the challenge of covering all of Malaysia with limited resources and mentioned an upcoming study to assess the event’s impact on tourism. Yeoh also noted the possibility of making Langkawi the final stage for LTdL 2025.

Additionally, KBS is focusing on developing facilities for the 2028 Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Kelantan and upgrading sports infrastructure in other states. Projects include the Kepala Batas Youth Centre in Penang and the Putatan District Council Stadium in Sabah. Upgrades are also underway
for the Tenom Sports Complex and Libaran Community Sports Complex in Sabah. The Dungun Velodrome in Terengganu was completed in 2022, with the Terengganu Water Sports Complex expected to finish by December this year.

Yeoh advised Members of Parliament to secure state government approval before requesting new sports facilities from KBS. She emphasized that requests would be reviewed according to criteria set by the Ministry of Economy. KBS also plans to introduce more inclusive programmes based on the 10 lifestyle activities of Rakan Muda, along with competitions to engage youth at various levels.

The session is set to resume on Monday.