DEVELOPING YOUNG FENCERS: Nilai U hosts Masiswa Games and announces its status as a PST for the sport of fencing.
KUALA LUMPUR: Nilai University (Nilai U) hosted the Masiswa Games (Central Zone II) from September 29 to 30 at its Putra Nilai campus.
This was one of the few occasions a private university had been given the honour of hosting the games, which is the largest sporting event under the purview of the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE).
The games saw approximately 1,100 athletes competing in rugby, team chess, netball, badminton, volleyball and sepak takraw competitions.
Masiswa is the largest of four sports councils within the ministry, which promotes sporting activities among the undergraduate population.
During the opening ceremony, Nilai U officially announced its newly acquired status of Pusat Sukan Tumpuan (PST) – Lawan Pedang.
It is only the second private higher education institution (the other being a development centre for hockey) to receive this status from the Ministry of Higher Education with the aim of introducing this sport to a wider audience and developing a new generation of champions in fencing.
Under this programme, Nilai U’s principal roles are to spot, nurture and develop talented young fencers.
This programme is not limited to Nilai U students. Those who have a penchant for this sport can join in the training programmes which will be held at Nilai U and make use of the facilities set up for this sport. The plan is to also make Nilai U the one-stop training centre for all national fencers.
“Our performances at the 2011 Indonesian SEA Games and the fact that one of our fencers qualified for the Olympics is among the factors which show that the sport deserves more attention,” said MoHE secretary general Datuk Rahim Mohd Noor.
He was referring to national fencer Yu Peng Kean who took part in the recent London Olympics, and who was on hand to conduct a brief demo during the launching ceremony.
Yu was aided by Muhammad Radhi Hasim (Team Sabre Malaysia) and Nurul Ariezzat Nazreen Ismail (Team Sabre Malaysia) in the demonstration. Yu is a Universiti Putra Malaysia student and is the first Malaysian fencer to compete at the Olympics in 48 years.
Nilai U’s philosophy is to produce well-rounded graduates who are academically proficient and socially confident.
Sports and extra-curricular activities have a very important role to play in this process.
“It is a privilege to be able to host these games.
“This will allow students to network in a safe, friendly yet competitive environment,” said Nilai U Students’ Affairs and Sports director Michael Yei.
“We are all very excited at being named PST for fencing as we have been tasked with creating a new generation of champions in this sport. We want to breed athletes who are thinkers,” he added.