PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's Standard Chartered KL Marathon on Sunday has been cancelled due to the worsening haze situation in the country.

In a press statement released on Saturday (Oct 3), the organisers said the health and safety of runners remained their top priority.

"Since our last announcement, the haze has unfortunately reached unhealthy levels according to the latest monitored alert. Due to the rapidly deteriorating air quality, and on the advice from the medical team, the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF), and the Institut Sukan Negara, we regret to announce that the Standard Chartered KL Marathon will be cancelled," the statement said.

The organisers added that the decision was further supported by co-organisers Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) as well as sponsor Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia.

"We appreciate the support shown by our runners throughout this challenging weather situation," the organisers said.

They advised registered participants to directly proceed to Dataran Merdeka to collect their race entitlements from 6am until noon on Sunday Oct 4.

On Friday, organisers stated that the marathon would go ahead as weather conditions had improved and API readings were at moderate level.