SINTOK: In an effort to enhance and strategise the advancement of sports and athletes, including supporting their pursuit of higher education at Institutions of Higher Education (IHE), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), in collaboration with the National Sports Council of Malaysia (MSNM) and the Kedah State Sports Council (MSNK) sealed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Visitors’ Lounge on Wednesday afternoon.
The MoU was signed by UUM Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dato’ Dr Mohd Foad Sakdan; Director General of MSNM, Mr. Abdul Rashid Yaakub; and Director of MSNK, Mr. Zulzuraidy Othman. 
In his address, Prof. Dato’ Dr Mohd Foad Sakdan expressed gratitude to MSNM and MSNK for their unwavering commitment and determination in advancing and empowering cooperation programmes aimed at enhancing sports development, thus ensuring the preservation of sports within universities.
According to him, the strategic collaboration among UUM, MSNM and MSNK holds immense potential to enhance the quality of sports excellence at the university, state and national levels. This initiative aims to cultivate “The Thinking Athlete,” individuals who excels both in sports and academics, thus establishing a collaborative network of expertise among the three entities to advance Malaysia towards becoming a developed nation in the field of sports.
He affirmed UUM’s commitment to supporting and assisting student athletes, recognising them as exceptionally talented individuals who have devoted their time and passion to their respective sports.
“UUM consistently strives to support its student-athletes, fostering collaboration that enhance both their academic achievements and their athletic pursuits. 
“I fervently hope that this strategic and integrated cooperation among government agencies will not only enhance the quality of sports within local IHEs but also elevate academic standards, ensuring they remain relevant and significantly impactful for all stakeholders,” he said at the MoU signing ceremony between UUM and MSNM and MSNK at the Visitors’ Lounge.
Meanwhile, Mr. Abdul Rashid acknowledged that MSNM aspires to cultivate ‘thinking athletes’ who possess the ability to think beyond the ordinary.
He also expressed gratitude to UUM for spearheading this initiative and expressed hope that it would be embraced not only in Kedah but also in the neighbouring states of Perlis and Penang.
He emphasised the importance of balancing sports and academics for the future of athletes, who must be prioritized.
“This initiative has been in place nationwide for an extended period, and we in the sports sector aim to develop intelligent and exceptional athletes, not just locally but on an international scale.
“We want athletes emerging from universities, necessitating collaboration. We have established the MACE (Malaysian Athlete Career and Education) secretariat, which will empower state athletes to pursue higher education while advancing their sports careers,” he said.
Present at the event were Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), Prof. Dr Ahmad Martadha Mohamed; Director of UUM Sports Centre, Dr Nasiruddin Haron and senior officials from UUM, MSNM and MSNK.
