The Royal Langkawi International Regatta (RLIR) 2020, which lifted its curtain yesterday, has the distinction of being the country's first international sports program in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020).

The event that began its 18th edition was a special event for Langkawi, Malaysia's major tourist destination, said the executive director of Datuk Azlan Abdullah of the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club (RLYC).

"We are proud of being the first VM2020 group, and it is noteworthy that 29 local and foreign teams will participate from 13 countries. There were originally 30 teams but, because of unforeseen circumstances, one team has withdrawn.

"Even though there have been fewer entries compared to the previous year, we are proud to see that the RLIR will be featuring an all-women team from Malaysia for the first time," he said.

Azlan said that Premiers ' Cup is expected to take place in RLYC on Saturday (Jan 11) and will feature Prime Minister Tun, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

This competition consists of seven categories, namely Racing, IRC 1, IRC 2 and Sportboat, Cruising, Multihull, and White Sail.