TBS’s Sasuke to become an ASEAN competition

The Malaysian Government has revealed plans for a 10-nation version of the popular Sasuke competition to be staged in Kuala Lumpur in November this year. 

Tentatively called the Sasuke ASEAN Open Cup 2013, the contest at the Stadium Kelana Jaya will involve participants from Indonesia, Thailand and eight other ASEAN countries.

The ASEAN Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan have endorsed the contest as part of celebrations to mark 40 years of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.

The competition is timed to coincide with the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Sports to be held in the Malaysian capital in November.

A press conference to announce plans for the event was headed by officials from the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports’ initiative to combat obesity and help foster the health of the nation’s youth, and was attended by officials from the embassies of other ASEAN countries and Japan.

The popular Tokyo Broadcasting System program Sasuke – in which 100 participants compete over a four-stage obstacle course – was first broadcast 17 years ago and is now aired in 157 countries around the world.