3 Popular Sports in Malaysia That You Should Know

Source: Sofia Kader @ Ling App Blog

If you ask people in Malaysia about the most popular sports, they would give you different answers. Some Malaysians regard sports in which we have a national team to be popular; some believe that any traditional or national sport should be at the top of the list, while others trust the number of a fanatic audience to determine that. Some of them you’ll see all over the place, while others you’ll only find in select parts of the world. So, if you happen to be in Malaysia, here are some popular sports that you might encounter.

Image Source: Brian Matangelo @ Unsplash Image Source: Juan Salamanca @Pexels

Fun Fact orner

Sports In The Malay Language In Malay, you can pronounce “sports” with the word “sukan” (pronunciation: soo-cun, rhymes with “gun”).

The Malay word for ‘exercise’ is’senam’ (pronunciation: suh-num). Meanwhile, the Malay term for ‘play’ is ‘main’ (pronunciation: muh-yeen).

Football

Source: Sofia Kader @ Ling App Blog

In Malaysia’s national language, Bahasa Melayu, the word for football is ‘Bola Sepak.’ The words ‘bola’ and sepak’ stand for ‘ball’ and ‘kick,’ respectively, resulting in ‘bola sepak.’ If you translate ‘bola sepak’ into English, you’d get ‘kick ball,’ which isn’t quite right but near enough.

Football, after all, is a popular sport all around the world, so it’s no wonder that it’s one of Malaysia’s top three sports. In Malaysia, football is not just a “men’s game,” but women enjoy the sport as well, with a national team of female players representing the Malaysian Female Football team. Youngsters like football as well, they frequently name themselves after their favorite national teams when playing with their friends.

‘Harimau Malaya,’ which translates to ‘Malayan Tiger’ in Bahasa Melayu, is the name of the Malaysian national football team. Only local competitions against adjacent countries have been undertaken by the team. Nevertheless, followers and fans believe that ‘Harimau Malaya’ has the potential to play internationally and, eventually, qualify for the World Cup.

The beauty of sports fans in Malaysia is that the majority of them do not go to the stadium to watch the game; instead, they watch it on TV at home or gather in large groups at local “mamak” eateries, which usually have large screens with the game projected on them. Everyone will come together to cheer on the national team, regardless of the outcome of the game; what matters is relishing the unity of everyone coming together.

Image Source: Joanna Lee @ First Classe

Image Source: Bernama

Badminton

Source: Sofia Kader @ Ling App Blog

Image Source: Wang Meng @ CGTN Badminton is the only sport that has the same name in both English and the Malaysian language.

For a long time, badminton has been a popular sport in Malaysia. Malaysia’s history of badminton events, particularly in the Olympic games, helped the sport gain prominence. Since the ‘Sidek brothers’ won Malaysia’s first Olympic medals in the 1922 Summer Olympics, the country has produced a wealth of great badminton players who have competed in the Olympics. Malaysia has won 13 Olympic medals in total, with 9 of those coming from the Badminton Olympic Games.

Datuk Lee Chong Wei, known as the ace of all Malaysian badminton players, is a sportsman who has achieved the most Olympic medals. Datuk Lee Chong Wei has won silver medals at the Olympic Games in Beijing, London, and Rio de Janeiro. Datuk Lee Chong Wei,

In 2008, Datuk Lee Chong Wei earned his first Olympic medal, the first for Malaysia in 12 years. Since then, Lee Chong Wei has been revered as the “Father” of Badminton throughout Malaysia.

Unfortunately, the ‘father’ of badminton resigned from the sport a few years ago, causing Malaysians to be in low spirits. Nonetheless, Datuk Lee Chong Wei’s legacy has encouraged a new generation of brilliant badminton players, such as the promising young Lee Zi Jia, Olympic medalist Aaron Chia, and Soh Wooi Yik, to take their place in the spotlight. These fresh, highly talented players have attracted a large following of badminton fans from across Malaysia, who are eager to watch them compete in the next competition. Image Source: Norzie Mohamed Khasbi @ Utusan Malaysia

Sepak Takraw

Source: Sofia Kader @ Ling App Blog

Image Source: Zool @ Liga Kampung

Sepak Takraw, which translates to ‘kick volley’ in English, is regarded as Malaysia’s official national sport, as its name is written in the country’s official language, Bahasa Melayu. In MalayBahasa Melayu, the sport is known by a few names including ‘Sepak Raga,’ where ‘raga’ translates to ‘basket’ in English. It’s called ‘basket’ because the ball used to play the sport is made of rattan, which is also the same material used to construct traditional Malaysian baskets, rattan baskets.

Sepak Takraw is quite similar to volleyball, with the exception of the “no-hands” rule. This means that players must maintain the ball off the ground and send it to the opposing team’s side of the net using any part of their body, typically the chest, shoulder, head, legs, or feet. In comparison to western volleyball, this sport has a greater emphasis on body and leg motions, requiring more aerobics. This Malaysian sport is also extremely popular in Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand and the Philippines. Unfortunately, Sepak Takraw is not included in the Olympics. However, don’t be astonished if it occurs in the not-too-distant future! Playing this game means more to Malaysians than just honouring a national sport. It is, however, also a method to honour our culture and customs.

The new 100 PLUS ACTIVE comes with ELEMENTS of ENHANCING PERFORMANCE.

Contains B Vitamins (B3, B6 & B12) and is Non-Carbonated 100PLUS ACTIVE. Specially designed to facilitate energy production, as well as to aid in after-sports recovery.

Image Source: 100 plus Singapore