KUALA LUMPUR: Citing the success of hosting the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2012, Malaysia believes it can be a proper host for other major international sporting events. The country's Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddine Yassin said on Sunday that he is confident that the participants and foreigners who came to the country for the race were comfortable and that it shows Malaysia is ready to play host to other events. Yassin made the comments after the flagging of 28,000 participants of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2012 near the National Monument, here. Some 1,000 participants came to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, from countries including Kenya, United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, France and Singapore, to race in the marathon. “I see a lot of young Malaysians today and this is the best way to show to the foreigners and also the world how strong young Malaysians are united as one. “This type of event is really significant for our country,” he said. Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the marathon was a good way of promoting Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia as a venue for international tournaments. “It shows to the outside world that Malaysia has the capability to organize sporting events of international standard. “An international event such as this also gives Malaysia the opportunity to demonstrate the friendly attitude of the people here and the peace and progress achieved by the country,” he added.
