SSMS honours Outstanding Student Athletes of 2017
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Sports School Malaysia (SSMS) aims to soar higher as it celebrated the accomplishments of its students in conjunction with its Outstanding Student Athletes’ of 2017 Appreciation Ceremony.
The event, held at Politeknik Kota Kinabalu (PKK), witnessed Mohd Alif Razi and Nurul Azurin Mazlan being crowned as the 2017 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year, respectively.
“The purpose of this event is to give recognition to all our students who had succeeded in the national and international levels.
“Our biggest achievement for 2017 was when four of our female football players were chosen to represent the country in the SEA Games,” said SSMS principal Madsarin Rahim.
He added that the school prioritised the balance between sports and academics.
As of July 2018, SSMS had already reached its 63 per cent target in terms of the success of its young athletes in the national level, as compared to last year’s performance where the school had reached 77 per cent for the entire year.
SSMS was also confident that it can reach the target of 50 per cent in terms of success in the development of its athletes, who were above 16 years old, in the international level.
Madsarin said he was also positive that, through the spirit, commitment and high dedication of the teachers and especially the athletes, SSMS will be able to leap even higher.
The event was officiated by state education director Datuk Maimunah Suhaibul.
The formation of the SSMS had given Sabah an advantage as it had enabled the state to gather all of its athletes and to provide them the facilities they need, she said.
“As I have mentioned in my speech, there are certainly many athletes who were born through SSMS. SSMS should actually be utilised by the people of Sabah so that they can send their talented children, even at a very young age,” Maimunah said, adding that the school accepted students from as young 11 or 12 years old.