ALOR SETAR: Kedah will make history by hosting the country's first world-class powerboat championship on a river when the Kedah World Powerboat Championship 2026 takes place at Sungai Kedah from Nov 5 to 7.
State tourism, culture and entrepreneurship committee chairman Datuk Mohd Salleh Saidin said 10 teams and elite racers from around the world would compete in the three-day event.
"The championship will be held near the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) headquarters in Ampang Jajar.
"Besides Malaysia, teams and racers from Italy, Finland, China, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Thailand will take part," he said in a statement.
Salleh said Sungai Kedah had unique potential that the state hoped to tap through events capable of attracting tourists and boosting the local economy.
"We are targeting more than 5,000 visitors to attend the championship," he said at a press conference at the Kedah State Museum here on Thursday (Oct 29).
He added that the immediate priority was to ensure the success of the inaugural event, with its potential to become an annual fixture to be assessed after the championship.
Malaysia Powerboat Sports president Ezzat Mohd Tahir said the event would present racers with unique technical challenges while offering spectators an adrenaline-filled experience.
"Powerboat races are usually held at river mouths, lakes or at sea. This time, we are taking on the challenge of staging one on a river.
"This is one of the reasons many international teams and racers are coming to Kedah to experience something different," he said.
Ezzat said racing on a river would offer competitors a unique experience to explore.
He urged the public to seize the opportunity to gather along Sungai Kedah and witness the historic championship.
