Sporting events cancelled in Malaysia due to air pollution
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Kuala Lumpur (dpa) - Several sporting events were cancelled Sunday in Malaysia as haze from Indonesia's plantation and forest fires grew worse, officials said.
Organizers of the Kuala Lumpur Marathon cancelled the annual scheduled for Sunday.
"The health and safety of all our runners remains our top priority," a statement said.
Four professional football matches were also cancelled due to haze, the country's football association said, while a cycling competition in the federal government centre of Putrajaya was also postponed.
The Health Ministry is expecting a spike of respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across the country as the haze persists, according to Deputy Health Minister Hilmi Yahaya.
The environmental department said haze in some parts of Kuala Lumpur and several other states have reached "unhealthy" to "very unhealthy" levels early Sunday.
The agency said annual scourge, which usually begins in early August and ends in September, could persist until the end of this month due to prolonged dry weather.
The smoky haze is caused by fires in nearby Indonesian provinces of Sumatra and Kalimantan, where open burning to clear lands for agriculture is common.
