Johor Sports Council (MSNJ) plans to organise international competitions once their BMX track in Iskandar Puteri receives approval from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Cycling Centre (WCC).
MSNJ director Mohd Ekmaluddin Ishak said that once approved, athletes from European countries, especially those wanting to escape the winter, could use the facilities.
“Once we have the UCI-WCC approval, international athletes will know they can come to Johor to train and compete.
“During winter, athletes from European countries often can’t train because of the weather. Now they will have the option to come to Malaysia.
“We had a UCI-WCC representative visit our facilities.
“We are now finishing some programme and upgrading tasks before completing the paperwork,” he said.
He added that the approval was expected in September this year.
The BMX track in Iskandar Puteri will then be the second international track in Malaysia with a UCI-WCC licence.
The first licensed track is located in Nilai, Negri Sembilan.
Mohd Ekmaluddin said this was part of the council’s plan to promote Johor as a sports tourism destination, aligning with the Visit Johor Year 2026 campaign.
“Last year, we helped organise the L’Etape cycling championship in Desaru.
“This year, we are planning the Maybank Cycling Series in September at Iskandar Puteri.
“We also plan to organise a Johor marathon sometime in October this year,” he said.
He highlighted that MSNJ had helped to organise Ironman, 113 Triathlon and Spartan last year.
“We hope to get participants from countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany, to show them that Johor has these sports facilities and events,” he said.
Mohd Ekmaluddin said these high-performance sports usually attracted foreign participants.
In terms of local events, he said MSNJ was planning the Johor Rugby Carnival in October this year and discussing organising the Malaysia Rally Championship in Johor.
“We want to organise the carnival in October, so when the international championship is over, the athletes can participate in a friendly match,” he said.
