Three Multimedia University (MMU) students are among the 773 athletes from the Malaysian contingent who are competing in the Philippines Southeast Asian (SEA) Games from Nov 30 to Dec 11 this year.
They are Pavinya Ramachandran for underwater hockey, Tan Li Ting (chess) and Nurul Azurin Mazlan (women’s football).
Pavinya, 18, who is a Financial Engineering foundation student, is making a debut with the national team in underwater hockey for the SEA Games.
The game, although obscure to many, originated in the 1950s and has only been played in Malaysia for the last three years. It was invented by the British Royal Navy to keep their divers in shape and improve their efficiency under water.
Also known as Octopush, the sport intertwines disciplines from ice hockey and swimming, which requires players to successfully hit a 2kg puck into the opponent’s goal while holding their breath.
Underwater hockey players are required to put on masks, ear protectors, fins, snorkels, flippers and gloves.
A total of 24 players are featured in the 2019 SEA Games, with Pavinya being the youngest in the female team.
For Pavinya, what started as a casual tryout turned into a passion as she was shortlisted to compete in the biennial games.
“I have been swimming as early as six years old. Early this year, I stopped swimming competitively and started to work as a coach at a swimming academy. Only then I was introduced to underwater hockey and decided to give it a try. I ended up liking it a lot as I am already comfortable with swimming.
“Hopefully, during the SEA Games, the team can do well and get better recognition since the sport is relatively new in Malaysia,” said Pavinya, adding that she hoped to pursue underwater hockey professionally.
Tan, 21, is no stranger to the Malaysian chess line-up, having competed in the SEA Games since 2011.
Although chess practice is more flexible and not physically demanding compared with other sports, Tan allocated two to four hours a day to improve her game.
“In preparing for the SEA Games, I mostly practise online with my sparring partner. As for studying, I do a lot of self-study,” said the third-year Accounting student.
Tan added that she started playing Chinese chess as a kid before going into international chess.
“My Chinese chess coach recommended my father to go for international chess as it has better exposure and is more popular in tournaments.
“It was still a hobby to me until the age of 9, when I competed in the Malaysia Schools Sports Council, where I lost badly. I was devastated and started to take chess training more seriously. Two years later, I was a regular at national championships.”
Having an outstanding reputation in the sports and academic fields, Tan was recently awarded an Education Ministry scholarship.
MMU president Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Rafi Mohamed Eshaq said: “While academic excellence is important, we must not forget that the industry is looking for graduates of high competency with soft skills and leadership.
“These traits and attributes can be developed only if they are involved in sports and extracurricular activities. It is a remarkable sign of the university to have an increasing number of students representing Malaysia in the SEA Games.”
Rafi also shared MMU’s achievements over the years that pushed the university to greater heights.
“By April 2020, MMU will offer new courses, which are Diploma in Creative Audio and Diploma in Creative Multimedia. This is to provide viable paths to students who may continue with their degree studies,” he said.
“These diplomas are introduced due to the demand from the industry, which is relevant to the Fourth Industrial Revolution development.
“Recently, MMU had its Premier Digital Tech Institution status renewed by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation Sdn Bhd (MDEC). Apart from that, the university has been trusted by MDEC to establish the Industry Competency Centre on Big Data and Blockchain, which is tasked with training potential students in the area.”
He added that MMU was ranked as one of the top five private universities in Malaysia by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.