Sea Games Baton Run To Kick Off In Brunei Next Month

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur SEA Games Baton Run which will involve all the 11 participating nations will begin in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei next month. Malaysia Organising Committee (MASOC) for Kuala Lumpur 2017 chief executive officer Zolkples Embong said the Baton Run themed 'Rise Together' would traverse all the capital cities of the participating nations before the cauldron is lit during the official opening ceremony of the Games on Aug 19. After Bandar Seri Begawan, the next capital city along the route is Manila, followed by Vientiane, Yangon, Bangkok, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Dili, Jakarta and Singapore before crossing the Causeway into Malaysia in early May. "After Singapore, the baton will be replaced with a torch. The torch will be brought around the whole country, including Sabah and Sarawak. "However, the run is still at the planning stage. Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin will be making an official announcement on it soon," he told Bernama. This is the first time in the history of the biennial games that a baton run is being held involving all the participating nations. Meanwhile, The Philippine Star reported that Philippine sporting stars boxer Manny Pacquiao and Rio Olympics weighlifting silver medallist Hidilyn Diaz are among the athletes who would participate in the run in Manila on March 12. The run is aimed at enhancing ASEAN solidarity. The 29th SEA Games and 9th ASEAN Para Games will be hosted by Kuala Lumpur from Aug 19-31 and Sept 17-23 respectively. -- BERNAMA