Malaysia to continue hosting MotoGP race until 2031

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Reuters) - Malaysia will continue to host a leg of the MotoGP championship at the Sepang International Circuit until 2031, the country's sports ministry said on Wednesday.

The race at the SIC has been a fixture on the calendar since 1999, apart from its cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Malaysia's cabinet had approved extending the hosting agreement for another five years from 2027, the youth and sports ministry said in a statement.

The statement did not say how much Malaysia was expected to spend annually to host the race. Officials have previously said hosting fees had risen between 10% and 15% since the contract was last renewed in 2024.     

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff and Danial Azhar; Editing by Michael Perry)