Page 242 - Westport Guide To Malaysia

234 THE SPORTING LIFE
A Passion for Sport
Sport has been an important part of Malaysian culture and identity since ancient times. Formal silat (martial art) schools were recorded as early as the 5th Century CE, while sepak takraw (kick volleyball) was widely played in 15th Century Melaka. Long before the Colonial Era, villages and towns in Kelantan and
Terengganu competed against one another at main gasing (top spinning), kite flying and various martial sports. In Sabah, the Bajau people held horse races and regattas
in the time of the Brunei Empire and in Sarawak the
Orang Ulu raised wrestling to an art form when Borneo was still unknown to Europeans.
During the 19th Century, British administrators and expatriates formed numerous sports clubs and associations and introduced a wide variety of sports that were
taken up enthusiastically throughout Malaysia, especially athletics, badminton, cricket, football, hockey, golf, rugby and tennis. Although club membership was initially restricted to Europeans
and a small Malaysian
elite, locals and foreigners soon began playing and competing together on the sporting field.
The British also introduced organised sport in schools, enabling league fixtures to be established even in small towns throughout the country.
The first international competitions developed
at the turn of the 19th Century from annual contests among the Straits Settlements, Hong Kong and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and friendly soccer matches between Malaysian teams and those from abroad.
The Federation of
Malaya Olympic Council was created in 1953
and recognised by the International Olympic Committee in 1954. Following the formation
of Malaysia in 1963, it was merged with the Olympic Committees of Sabah
and Sarawak to form
the Olympic Council of Malaysia, which represents Malaysia at the Olympic, Asian, Commonwealth and Southeast Asian Games.
Malaysia first participated at the Olympic Games in 1964, and has sent athletes to every Summer Olympics since then, except for the American-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games. Malaysian athletes also debuted at the Summer Paralympic Games in 1972 and the Winter Olympics
in 2018. Malaysian able- bodied athletes have won a total of 13 Olympic medals; 9 in badminton, 2 in diving and 2 in cycling. The most successful is Lee Chong
Sepak Takraw action: Team Malaysia (foreground) in action against Thailand at the Titiwangsa Indoor Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.