Celebrities Bring Smiles to Locals Amid Wet Weather

by Rurrum, K. Terengganu on 3 Dec 2009 As the clock struck midnight signaling the dawn of Tuesday morning, competitors of the 2009 Monsoon Cup could not wait to get things under way for the first day of racing. For the sailors, the Cup is the final fixtures of match races remaining after a long tour series.

Competitors, regatta officials, event organizers and members of the media arrived early on Tuesday morning under adverse weather – rains and strong winds in Pulau Duyong. The teams got a chance to do some training on the course at around 2pm, and the rain did not let up either.

Apart from the races, event organizers also put together a series of carnival events to attract larger crowds this year. The first carnival event of the Monsoon Cup – a concert kicked off at Dataran Syahbandar, Kuala Terengganu late Tuesday evening.

About 1,000 locals with umbrellas in all rainbow colours brave the rains to watch the show. This did not dampen the spirits of the local celebrities who were performing, as they were very excited to be at the event and could not wait to get started, despite the wet conditions. The performing artistes who took to stage include Dayang Nurfaizah, Aizat, Dafi, Ramlah Ram, Jay Jay, Lan Kristal, Tomok, Elyana and Amanda Amani. The emcees for the event were Fara Fauzana and Reeza.

At 9pm, the rain slowly started to fizzle out which prompted the event organizers to give the green light for the concert to start. The opening act was done by Star Stompers who showed the crowd that music and entertainment comes in all forms, as the instruments that the Stompers used were mainly rubbish bins, water bottles and metal objects. At this point, the audience began to swell in numbers. When the singers came out for a group photo session on the stage, the crowd turned frenzy and began screaming and chanting the names of their favourite celebrities. This certainly lifted the mood, and the talented musicians did not disappoint as they put on a fine show.

When the artists were asked to comment on why they chose to participate in this year’s Monsoon cup, each of them had their own reasons. Rising star Dafi said: 'You can’t run away from the opportunity to participate at an international event. If you are asked to help promote and support your country, from an entertainment perspective, you can’t say NO.' Famous East Malaysian, Sarawak artiste Dayang Nurfaizah shared the same view, however, she did point out that sports and music can gel well to help put Malaysia on the map.

Dayang said: 'The sacrifices we have to make in sports and entertainment are similar. Let us show the world what we have sacrificed by helping to put Malaysia on the map. Many tourists always say Malaysia is a beautiful country. We don’t want that perception to change.'

Emcee and TV host, Fara Fauzana, commented that the Monsoon Cup is good for the career of artistes. She said: 'It helps to give us the exposure that we need to develop our careers. We are all here to have a good time and put a smile on peoples’ faces. Although this event is in Terengganu, yet we still have the chance to meet people from many different countries. That in itself is an awesome experience.'

The first set of match races commenced shortly before lunch on Wednesday. The carnival activities which will take place on Wednesday are Celebrity Meet and Greet session at 3.45pm, and a Mini Concert at Ri-Yaz Garden at 5pm. If you have some time between races, and want to give the kids a break from the water then check out the carnival activities at the above times.

The Monsoon Cup is a project of the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports and it is proudly hosted by the State of Terengganu and is supported by key sponsors Richard Mille, TM, Cartrade Group (CTG), Astro, Firefly Airline, and Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa.

The Monsoon Cup will be streamed live to the Internet throughout the day at www.sail.tv and www.wmrt.org/sailtv. Daily half hour highlights shows will be broadcast worldwide along with short news highlights and key matches. The action will be broadcast Live on Saturday and Sunday between 3-5pm local time. Key networks include Eurosport, Eurosport Asia Pacific, Fox Sports Australia, Fox Sports US, SKY NZ, ESPN Star, Showtime Middle East, America One, SKY UK, Sport Max Caribbean, CNBC Asia Pacific, BT Vision.

For more information or media registration to access high resolution images go to www.monsooncup.com.my

WMRT 2009 Tour Standings (after 8 of 9 events)

Tour Standings - (After 8 of 9 events)
1. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 100 Points
2. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 88 Points
3. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar 75 Points
4. Mathieu Richard (FRA), French Match Racing Team Racing 74 Points
5. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR 71 Points
6. Ben Ainslie, (GBR) Team Origin 65 Points
7. Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 48 Points
8. Sebastien Col, (FRA) French Match Racing Team 41 Points

About the World Match Racing Tour:
• The World Match Racing Tour is the leading professional sailing series featuring 9 World
Championship events across the globe
• The World Tour is sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with 'Special
Event' status
• The World Tour awards over US$1.5million in prize money
• Points are awarded at each event culminating in the crowning of the ‘ISAF Match Racing
World Champion’
• Events utilize the same 'match race' format used in the America’s Cup with racing taking
place in identically supplied racing yachts which places a focuses on team work and skill.
Racing takes place close to the shore for the general public to follow the races as virtual on-
the -water stadiums.
• Media and television highlights coverage reaches over 600 million households in excess of
90 countries around the world
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About The Monsoon Cup
The Monsoon Cup 2005 celebrated its debut as the 50th official event of the Swedish Match Tour (now known as the World Match Racing Tour), and serves as the Malaysian leg for the international sailing event. This professional sailing series was formed in 2000 to unite the world's best match-race regattas under one banner.

The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) comprises nine events in nine specially selected locations around the world. As the leading professional sailing series in the world, the Tour events are recognized as must-attend regattas on the match-race circuit.

The Monsoon Cup 2009 will be held at Pulau Duyong, Terengganu, from the 1st to 6th December 2009. Website : www.monsooncup.com.my

For information on the World Match Racing Tour:

Yvonne Reid
Tel: +44 (0) 1590 679613
Mob: +44 (0) 7809 149268
E-mail: yreid@f10marketing.com
Website: www.worldmatchracingtour.com

For more information on the Monsoon Cup :
RURRUM Communications Sdn Bhd
Name : Audrey Lakai
Mobile : 012 309 4377
Email: audrey.lakai@rurrum.com