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Selayar International Half Marathon to boost local sports tourism
According to Selayar Islands Regent Basli Ali, an estimated local and international 10,000 runners are expected to participate in the event.
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Aiming big: A promotional banner for the Selayar International Half Marathon, which is slated for Nov. 24 in Selayar Islands regency, South Sulawesi. (www.selayarnews.com/www.selayarnews.com)
Selayar Islands regency in South Sulawesi is gearing up for the Selayar International Half Marathon, slated for Nov. 24.
According to Selayar Islands Regent Basli Ali, an estimated local and international 10,000 runners are expected to participate in the event.
“We are developing the regency’s sports tourism by establishing as the home of the half marathon competition. Participants can run while enjoying the beauty of our nature,” he said as quoted by Antara agency on Monday.
He added that event would be divided into three categories, a 5-kilometer fun run, 10-km race and 21-km half marathon as the main event. The local organizer, Basli went on, had also prepared a total of Rp 200 million (US$14,308) to be given cash prizes.
The regency’s youth and sports agency head, Ahmad Ansar Husain, said running enthusiasts can register at selayarmarathon.com. He is optimistic that the targeted number of participants would be immediately met based on the fact that sports tourism is growing.
Dozens of running events have been organized throughout the archipelago. However, a warning was issued by the Professional Athletes Association following the deaths of some runners in previous running events. The association has recorded five deaths during various running events in the country within this year alone.
Association chief Richard Sam Bera asked both local organizers and the government to pay serious attention to the matter as to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. He suggested stricter health checks for participants to measure whether they are fit enough to join a race.
