More than 13,000 participants were impressed by the cancellation of Kuching Marathon

KUCHING, 25 September: The cancellation of Kuching Marathon 2026 at the last minute affects over 13,000 registered participants, including participants from outside Sarawak who are making preliminary preparations to participate in the event.

Sarawak Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurship Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the cancellation also affected participants who had booked accommodation as well as flights to attend the event.

"If it's really canceled, I myself feel sorry for the expectations of those who come and sign up. We also know more than 13,000 of them.

"Many of them come from outside Sarawak who have already booked accommodation such as hotels and village inns. Some come by airplane and iru involves the cost of this marathon", he told TVS after reviewing the final preparations for the Music Industry Awards (AIM) here, today.

According to Abdul Karim, cancellation in the final stage could disappoint participants who have made preparations and bear the cost of attending the event.

He said that he had just been at the registration site before attending the program and was not notified of the cancellation.

Meanwhile, Abdul Karim said that the organizers were believed to have a reason before deciding to cancel the event.

"I believe the organisers certainly had a certain reason why it was cancelled, and probably on the advice of the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) and Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN)", he added.

He said that his ministry also channelled financial assistance for the event, but its implementation was subject to various factors.

Abdul Karim said he also understood that the cancellation would trigger criticism on social media, especially from participants who had prepared and incurred costs to attend the event.

Earlier, the Kuching Marathon Association (KMA) in a statement announced that the Kuching Marathon 2026 scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 27, was cancelled due to foggy conditions affecting Kuching and surrounding areas. - TVS