Cyclists who had signed up to participate in the cancelled Melaka International Century Ride have taken to social media to vent their anger

Organisers still uncontactable over last-minute cancellation of Melaka Int'l Century Ride

NST
Kelly KohOctober 26, 2016



MALACCA: Cyclists who had signed up to participate in the Melaka International Century Ride have taken to social media to vent their anger on the event's last-minute cancellation.

The event, which was supposed to have taken place on Sunday (October 30) came to a screeching halt when the organisers abruptly announced its cancellation on Tuesday.

The anger among the cycling community is palpable, with many having already booked hotel rooms and secured travel arrangements for the event this weekend.

Efforts to contact event director Azmar Ab Hamid, since he issued the statement on the cancellation of the event on Tuesday, have as yet proved futile.

Answers are being demanded from more than 3,000 participants who paid RM130 each through the online registration for the event.

According to the notice issued on Tuesday by Azmar, the organising company, MySkill Media Sdn Bhd, cancelled the cycling event due to 'financial problems'.

A participant, Peter Lim, 42, a professional photographer by profession, said he was disappointed by the event's cancellation.

"We cannot accept such an explanation from the event organiser for cancelling the event.

"If the event was cancelled due to force majeure such as bad weather conditions, we can still accept it," he said.

Ardent cyclist and blogger Datuk Ahirudin Attan, better known as Rocky's Bru, said the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Malacca government should put their foot down to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.

He said the cancellation of an international event reflects badly on the image of Malaysia and Malacca, as can affect tourism in the country with people cancelling flights and hotel bookings.

"This is uncalled for. The relevant ministry must put their foot down before the industry becomes a nest for people out there to make a quick buck at the expense of cyclists and their families.

"Stern action must be taken against these people and they should be barred from organising future events," said Ahirudin.

Ahirudin said having 'Malacca' in the event name gave the state government a bad name and called for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron to live up to the slogan of 'Don't Mess with Melaka'.

It is estimated that at least RM390,000 in registration fees were collected from participants through online registrations. Participants had a rude shock when they were given a cancellation notice through the event's Facebook page.

The notice was issued on Tuesday by the organiser, stating that the event, to be held at Stadium Mini this Sunday, was abruptly cancelled due to 'financial issues' after 'advice from compulsory bodies'.

Meanwhile, event partner providing online registration services CyclingEvents.my expressed shock at the cancellation.

However, the company said it is unable to refund money collected from participants as the fees collected have already been handed over to the organising company.