Kuala Lampur, Sept. 9 -- SEPTEMBER 9 - September and October are exciting months for Malaysia's recreational sporting community. Runners are completing their final long runs, cyclists are clocking up kilometres, and multisport athletes are fine-tuning months of preparation for some of the country's major sporting events. But this year, another factor has entered the equation: the air we breathe.

The recent deterioration in air quality across parts of Malaysia has brought the haze back into public discussion. On September 8, unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings were recorded across several locations, including Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and parts of Selangor.

For the sporting community, this raises a difficult but increasingly relev...