Nilai U hosts MASISWA Games and announces its status as a PST for the sport of fencing.
Nilai University (Nilai U) hosted the MASISWA Games (Central Zone II) 29-30 Sep 2012 at its Putra Nilai campus. This is one of the few occasions a private university has 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 compete in rugby, team chess, netball, badminton, volleyball, and sepak takraw. 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 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 forthis sport. The plan is to also make Nilai U the one-stop training centre for all national fencers.
“We already have an Olympian in this sport. The aim is for this project to produce a larger talent pool than can compete at the SEA and Asian Games, and of course, hopefully bring home an Olympic medal in the future. As a PST, Nilai U will not only be talent scouting but also act as a research centre for this sport,” said Datuk Rahim Bin Mohd Noor, Secretary General Ministry of Higher Education, referring to the national fencer Yu Peng Kean who took part in the recent London Olympics, and who was on hand to conduct a brief demo during launching ceremony. Yu was aided by Muhammad Radhi bin Hasim(Team Sabre Malaysia) and Nurul Ariezzat Nazreen bin Ismail (Team Sabre Malaysia).
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,” says Michael Yei, Nilai U’s Director of Student Affairs and Sports. “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.”
Nilai U was established in 1997 and its administrators chose to build the campus on the city outskirts to allow students to enjoy a sporting and outdoor lifestyle. It features six schools and offer diploma, degree and masters programmes in the fields of Business, Allied Health Sciences, Hospitality and Tourism, Humanities and Social Sciences, Foundation Studies, and Engineering, Science and Technology.
Competing teams will be from Nilai University, Taylor’s University, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Segi University, International Medical University, Cyberjaya University College of Medical Science, Kuala Lumpur Infrastructure University College,
Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Sunway University, UniKL-GMI, Asean Metropolitan University and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.
