Nurturing greatness through sports values – MOE director-general
PUTRAJA: Top performing students, teachers and coaches in the Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM) competitions in the past year were feted at the 2018 edition of the annual Ministry of Education (MOE)-MSSM-MILOR Sports Awards.
Datuk Dr. Amin bin Senin, Director-General of Education Malaysia, officiated at the event held on Thursday.
Recognising excellence in 14 categories including the Gold Sportsperson Award and Dedicated Teacher Award, the Awards honours the achievements and contributions of Malaysia's young athletes as well as the individuals who motivate them.
It also acknowledges the power that sporting values play in driving high performance.
During the ceremony, Amin emphasised the importance of placing value-based learning at the core of sports education. “Putting values at the heart of sports education is in line with the National Education Philosophy that seeks to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious. It nurtures positive human values such as teamwork, respect, effort, ambition and humility. This is what inspired us to recognise it as the theme of this year's Awards presentation,” he said.
"MSSM helps to discover the talents of more than 10,000 student athletes in 24 competitive sports each year, many of whom would go on to make Malaysia proud at regional and international sports competitions. Many national athletes began their sports careers through MSSM competitions, including Datuk Nicol David (squash), Welson Sim (swimming) and Farah Ann (artistic gymnastics) as well as Malaysia's first female Olympic medallist Pandalela Rinong (diving). These world-class athletes are past recipients of the MOE-MSSM- MILOR Sports Awards themselves."
For over 40 years, MILOR has played a pivotal role as a partner to MOE and MSSM in bringing the MOE-MSSM-MILOR Sports Awards to life.
Amin added that programmes like these, including MILOR's efforts in championing grassroots sports development are integral to sustaining the national sports agenda and enhancing the quality of Malaysia's sports education and achievements.
Meanwhile, Kumaran Nowuram, Executive Director, MILOR and Milks Business Unit, Nestle Products Sdn. Bhd. said, “We are committed to delivering on our purpose of providing Malaysians the inspiration to grow with sports, and to that end, we have consolidated all our sports programmes including the partnership with MOE on MSSM and the 1Student 1Sport (1Murid 1Sukan) initiative under MILOR Aktif Negaraku – a call to action for Malaysians to stay active and lead a healthy lifestyle.”
He elaborated, “This year's recipients have demonstrated extraordinary feats and personified what it truly means to be a champion. We offer our heartiest congratulations to all of them and hope their successes will further fuel their determination and inspire their peers as well as Malaysians out there to achieve greatness and stay active with sports.”
One of the notable recipients of this year's MOE-MSSMMILOR Awards is the Gold Sportsperson Award winner, national teenage squash sensation Aifa binti Azman.
By winning three British Junior Open titles and three Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour titles at the age of 16 last year, she became Malaysia's youngest pro winner and the fastest three-title winner on the tour.
The highest accolade in the MOE-MSSM-MILOR Sports Awards, the Gold Sportsperson Award is not handed out on an annual basis and is instead reserved for deserving recipients who demonstrate excellence in both sports and academics. “This Award is completely unexpected, and I am most certainly grateful for it. It is also very significant to me as I now get to follow in the footsteps of my idol, Datuk Nicol David who was also a past recipient of the very same Award.
"I wish to thank my parents, teachers and coach for their support and guidance in pushing me past my limits and realise my goals. Staying active with sports not only gives me the satisfaction at the end of every match, but also helps me keep my focus in my studies and boost my selfconfidence,” she said.