KUALA LUMPUR – There are no plans to rebrand the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL).
Malaysian National Cycling Federation vice-president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill said that the branding created for the ProSeries race since 1996 is well-known worldwide.
“I don’t agree with changing the name of the tour. This is because the LTdL is renowned globally.
“Every team and country knows LTdL. If you change the name, it will disrupt a lot of things.
“I think there is no issue with the name of the tour,” he said after a ceremony to announce Tourism Malaysia as a main sponsor of the Le Tour de Langkawi.
This year’s race will consist of eight stages, beginning in Kerteh and ending in Kuala Terengganu.
The final stage will be flagged off from Setia Alam and end in Kuala Lumpur.
The vacation island of Langkawi is not included in the list of race routes for this year’s event.
This is not the first time Langkawi has been dropped from the race route, as it was omitted from the 2016 until 2018 editions.
Langkawi MP Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah raised the issue in Parliament four days ago, stating that the race should change its name since it does not take place on the island.
“The name of the race is Le Tour de Langkawi. It does not make sense to call it that when it does not happen in Langkawi.
“The name should be changed to Le Tour de Malaysia or Le Tour de Madani,” said the opposition MP from Bersatu.
Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said LTdL is a specialised cycling brand known internationally. Out of the 26 editions that took place, 11 editions did not involve Langkawi,” she said when wrapping up the debate on the motion for the 12th Malaysia Plan Half Term Review for the Youth and Sports Ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Hannah said the route selection for this year’s 27th edition was originally proposed to explore as many cities and small towns in the Peninsula as possible. – September 18, 2023