KAZAN: Malaysia's achievements in badminton have attracted the Russian media's attention, with a request for its champions to train Russian players.
The request was made during the press conference of Professor Dr Maszlee Malik, chairman of the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia, at the media centre of the 15th International Economic Forum "Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum 2024" here on Wednesday.
The request was made to Maszlee in Russian and translated into English through an interpreter.
In reply, Maszlee said he will convey the request to the Youth and Sports Ministry for Malaysia's badminton champions, including Datuk Lee Chong Wei, to train Russian players.
Speaking to the Malaysian media after the press conference, Maszlee said the request was an honour for the country.
"Saying I am proud is an understatement. I am over the moon," he said.
In the earlier part of the press conference, Maszlee elaborated on cultural diplomacy, which he presented a paper on the topic in one of the forum sessions on Wednesday.
The forum started on May 14 and will end on May 19.
He said the Kazan Islamic Film Festival will take place in Shah Alam and Johor Baru next month, organised by the IAIS and Russian embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Seven movies from Kazan on Russia's Muslim community from Tatarstan will be shown, Maszlee said.
They include genres, such as documentary, fiction, action and animation.
In another development, the situation at the forum was calm despite news that Kazan Airport, located nearby, was closed for some time due to a drone attack before it was reopened again.
Most of the foreign journalists present were unaware when asked during breakfast if they knew about the closure.
So far, the forum organiser has not made any announcement related to security.