Mohd Hairi speaking at the Run for Peace 2025 flag-off in Dataran Mahkota, Kota Iskandar.
JOHOR is looking forward to hosting another international marathon later this year, with thousands of participants expected.
State youth, sports, entrepreneur development and cooperatives committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said the state had proven experience, infrastructure in terms of venues, facilities and seamless connectivity – for international sporting events.
“The Bank Rakyat Johor International Marathon (BRJIM) 2025 set for November is expected to draw around 20,000 runners from Malaysia and overseas,” he said after flagging off the Run for Peace (RFP) 2025 at Dataran Mahkota, Kota Iskandar.
BRJIM is part of the state government’s efforts to promote an active lifestyle and position Johor as an event hub.
“The objective is to also bring Bangsa Johor together.
“We are eyeing strong foreign participation, especially from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Brunei,” said Mohd Hairi.
This month, Johor hosted the inaugural Influencers World Cup 2025, a football tournament featuring top digital content creators and social media personalities from around the world.
And now, thousands of people have joined the biennial RFP.
Organiser Soka Gakkai Malaysia Johor branch chairman Goh Kok Kheng said: “Despite the downpour, they waited to be part of the peace message.”
More than 70,000 participants took part across 22 locations nationwide, he said.
He also highlighted the importance of small, practical steps in achieving sustainability, noting the event’s waste management strategy.
“Alongside promoting peace and harmony, we have also been championing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to reduce waste and protect the environment.
“Hence we did not issue medals this year and we encouraged runners to reuse their T-shirt from earlier runs, to minimise the environmental impact.”
