MOHE Shines Brightest In SIPMA 2025, Retains Overall Champion Status

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) shone the brightest when all the teams under its umbrella managed to win medals at the recently-concluded Malaysian Educational Institutions Games (SIPMA).

The KPT contingent comprises the Malaysian Universities Sports Council (MASUM), the Malaysian Private Higher Education Institutions Sports Council (MASISWA), the Malaysian Polytechnic Sports Council (MSP) and the Community College Sports Council (MASKOM).

MASUM also continued to prove its excellence when it retained its overall champion status by bagging 43 gold, 27 silver and 34 bronze medals. The Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM), with a 42-54-39 medal haul, finished second overall.

MASISWA (32-33-24 medal haul) were third, MSP (3-4-9) fourth and MASKOM seventh with just a single bronze medal.

Overall, the KPT contingent managed to capture 78 out of the 122 gold medals contested at the 10th edition of the Games, and came out tops in eight of the 12 events - athletics, men's hockey, football, badminton, archery, sepak takraw, swimming and men's volleyball.

National shot putter Jonah Chang Rigan, representing MASUM, also set a new national record of 18.66 metres (m) to erase his old mark of 18.46m, while sprinter Danish Iftikhar Muhammad Roslee set a new meet record in men's 100m with a time of 10.42 seconds (s).

In addition, MASISWA swimmer Hii Puong Wei, who bagged three gold medals and set a meet record, and MASUM compound archer Nur Nisa Aliya Muhammad Radzif, who clinched four gold medals, were named Sportsman and Sportswoman respectively.

MOHE Strategic Planning Division Sports Section head Dr Hanafiah Ayub said the introduction of the Varsity Sports Championships (VSC) early this year seemed to have had a significant impact on the institution of higher education (IPT) students competing in SIPMA 2025.

He said the consistent format of organisation proved useful in helping the athletes to always perform at the highest level.

"This is evident when MASUM and MASISWA managed to emerge triumphant in events that were prioritised in the VSC, including athletics, swimming, archery, sepak takraw and football.

"This success also proves that the criticism of a group of national sports enthusiasts, claiming that IPTs will only be a graveyard for athletes, is wrong,” he said in a statement.

SIPMA 2025 was held at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Bahru, from Sept 1-7.

-- BERNAMA