Malaysian Athletes strive for Unity in Sport through Ethnic Diversity

GWANGJU – Friday night’s marching pass of the participating countries in the World Cup Stadium became one of the most colourful and exciting moments of the Opening Ceremony. Welcoming some 13,000 athletes and officials took more than an hour. However, it was not simply a tribute to tradition. It was a reflection of the changing world, growth, and uniqueness of each nation. For example, the number of athletes can provide information about the level of popularity of the Universiade, or financial opportunities of each country. Colour and design of sportswear can also reflect culture and tradition of a particular nation.

101 Malaysian athletes proudly paraded during the 28^th SU Opening Ceremony, not in typical sports uniforms but in different traditional national costumes. For example, their Chinese girls were wearing a ‘chongsam’, which is worn by young Chinese women in daily life. Some others wore a ‘sari’. Some girls were dressed in a ‘kadazan’, which normally is worn at wedding ceremonies. The Malaysian male athletes were wearing a ‘silat’ costume, which was the outfit used to wear to go to war.

Through such diversity in clothing, the Malaysian delegation stressed one of the main particularities of its country, i.e. multi-ethnicity. According to Nur Ekmal Buhary, Malaysia team’s media liaison, they want to show people that even through having different ethnicities in one team it is possible to be together in sport.

Lubov Kudelko (BLR), FISU Young Reporter