IRONMAN A SHOT-IN-THE ARM FOR LANGKAWI TOURISM

LANGKAWI (Malaysia), Feb 26 (Bernama) -- The Langkawi Ironman that will be
held here on Feb 28 is a shot-in-the-arm for tourism in this famous island
especially during this trying times.

Langkawi Ironman director A.Chandrakumanan said the organisers were pulling
out all the stops and spending RM4.5 million (US$1=RM3.60) to ensure the success
of the prestigious event.

"Tourism related industries will get a big boost with the arrival of over
700 triathletes from 39 countries for this year's edition of the Langkawi
Ironman," he told Bernama.

Some 200 local triathletes will also be competing in this 9th edition of the
event.

The Langkawi Ironman is also a qualifying leg for the "mother-of-all
triathlons", the Hawaii Ironman that is held annually in Kona, Hawaii.

Langkawi,is an archipelago of 99 islands (an extra 5 temporary islands are
revealed at low tide in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of
northwestern Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA