Rhine-ruhr: The cream of Malaysia’s top varsity athletes are all primed for action in the 2025 World University Games (WUG) at the Rhine-Ruhr here from July 16-27. A total of 64 national athletes – 39 men and 25 women – will compete in artistic gymnastics, badminton, archery, athletics, swimming, and taekwondo at the biennial Games, hosted by the International University Sports Federation (FISU).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the WUG 2025 is one of the biggest Games to be held this year, with an estimated 9,000 athletes and officials from over 100 countries converging on the five major cities in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area, namely Bochum, Duisburg, Essen, Mlheim, and Hagen, as well as the city of Berlin. The Rhine-Ruhr holds a long heritage in the university sports landscape, having hosted the Third International University Sports Week in Dortmund in August 1953, which became a symbol of the revival of European sportsmanship after World War II. Duisburg, one of the main venues, is remembered for hosting the 1989 edition successfully.
The 2025 WUG’s official mascot, Wanda, a peregrine falcon, symbolizes speed and agility, qualities that the national contingent hopes to emulate. Malaysia is targeting seven medals this year, using the event to test athletes’ capabilities and gain international experience. Key figures in the athletics team include sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi, national 400-meter record holder Umar Osman, and shot put record holder Jonah Chang Rigan. The archery team will feature the 2024 Paris Olympics women’s recurve trio of Syaqiera Mashayikh, Ariana Nur Dania Mohamad Zairi, and Nurul Azreena Mohamad Fazil.
In taekwondo, expectations are high for 2023 Cambodia SEA Games gold medallist Muhammad Syafiq Zuber and rising star Yow Mei Yee. Olympian and national 400m freestyle record holder Khiew Hoe Yen is anticipated to perform well in swimming, while the badminton squad, led by head coach Datuk Rashid Sidek, aims to improve on their previous two-bronze collection.
Malaysian chef de mission Datuk Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Hafiz Yusoff highlighted the contingent’s unity, expressing gratitude for the support from various educational and sports bodies. He emphasized that the team represents Malaysia as a whole, not individual universities, under the banner of the Jalur Gemilang.
Despite the challenges posed by the decentralised format of the Games, requiring events to be held across different locations, Dr Mohd Hafiz is optimistic that the team spirit can be maintained. He acknowledged the logistical difficulties but remains hopeful that the athletes will rise above the emotional challenges posed by the varied environments they will encounter.
The official opening ceremony of the 2025 WUG, featuring 19 sports and 234 gold medals, is scheduled to take place at the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena in Duisburg tomorrow night.