Who organised it? MSO (Jie Han & Ummil), SUAMS, MSA, MASA, MYSUN
When was it? 3rd April 2011, Sunday from 9am to 3pm and 9th April 2011, Saturday from 9am to 7pm
Where was it held? 3rd April: Moore Park football fields, 9th April: Sydney University Sports & Aquatic Centre
How many people attended? 3rd April: Approx. 110; 9th April: Approx. 250 throughout the day
What did we do?
The Sports Carnival is an annual intervarsity competition between the Malaysian societies of various universities around New South Wales. This year’s event was organised and participated by the 5 Malaysian societies of MSO, SUAMS, MSA, MASA & MYSUN.

The first session of the sports carnival was held at the Moore Park football fields. The weather was warm and sunny, perfect for a day of intense battles on the pitch with pride and glory on the line. Cheered by our loyal supporters who braved the heat and scorching sun, MSO started off well, winning the first game against MASA 3-1, with goals scored by forward Ismail, midfielder Viren and Captain Fantastic Heman. After a short break, MSO then had to do battle against the defending champions SUAMS, who narrowly beat last year’s MSO team by a solitary goal. Not wanting history to repeat itself, MSO took the game to the defending champs, attacking aggressively from the first whistle and maintaining pressure on their defence. However, after a few missed opportunities our players tired and this allowed SUAMS to get back in the game. In the final 10 minutes of the game, SUAMS got a breakthrough and a clinical finish by one of their forwards gave them the breakthrough, which MSO tried hard but just couldn’t recover from. It was a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of the defending champions. The loss affected our players badly, evident in the game against MYSUN where we struggled against seemingly inferior opponents on paper. The match ended in a 1-1 draw where controversy arose with key refereeing decisions. Ismail once again showed his scoring prowess with a goal in that game. After a much needed pep talk by Captain Heman, the players went all out in their final match against MSA, obliterating the opposition 3-0, with goals coming from Nabil, Zai and veteran Devin. The combination of results saw MSO retaining their position as first runner-up in football, a positive result which the team of 2012 will definitely work to improve on.

The second session of the sports carnival was held at the Sydney University Sports and Aquatic Centre. Sports played on that day were: netball, volleyball, tennis, badminton and basketball. The full day event was attended by many, creating a buzzing atmosphere within the sports hall. Netball and volleyball were played simultaneously during the morning session, with MSO’s netball team opening the day’s event. Our girls fought hard and played with passion, but were unfortunately still outplayed by more experienced opponents. Adding salt into wound was the injury to our captain Melissa, which cumulated in a 5th placed finish for our ladies. However the team still received good experience and exposure, no doubt coming back stronger for next year’s competition.

At the other end of the arena, our volleyball players were putting on a show for the fans that turned up. Led by the experienced YiHong, the team won the first game easily; however the victory led to complacency, and the team subsequently lost the second match to MASA by a very close margin. After a much needed wake-up call, the team buckled up and went on to defeat SUAMS by a single point, and emphatically pulverized the MYSUN team. As a result we came second in volleyball, overall losing to SUAMS on score difference.

Tennis was played in the middle of the day, under the scorching heat of the Sydney sun. Our players braved the heat and put on an amazing show, bulldozing through opponents, and crushing any hint of resistance they posed. Captain of tennis, Shaun Boey led by example, winning all of his matches and giving to support and encouragement to whoever was playing for MSO at that time. His technical and leadership skills were adequately rewarded, with our tennis team winning the gold.

Badminton was played in the afternoon session; this was the only sport that every society brought a full team with, a true testament to the popularity of the sport among Malaysians. MSO started off strongly, winning the first few matches comfortably. However, we came up short against the stronger oppositions, faltering against technically superior opponents. Nonetheless, the never-say-die attitude in our players, particularly in captain Alvin Kho, gave the players the strength to muster a fourth place finish.

Basketball was the event that finished last, and the makeshift ‘final’ was the most anticipated match of the day. With a team with limited experience in prior sport carnivals, the pressure was on the new batch of players to live up to the expectations of the basketball team from previous years. After getting over the initial nerves, our players put on a strong showing and won comfortably against SUAMS and MSA. However, the third match against MYSUN was highly controversial, as tempers flared and emotions went through the roof. The referee was forced to disqualify two of the opposition players, giving MSO a win by default. It was unfortunate that MSO had to win in such a way, but kudos to the players who kept their cool and managed their emotions with maturity. When it was time to face MASA, the defending champions, the arena was already buzzing with anticipation as both teams were going into this match undefeated. A great deal of talent was on show for the final, MSO led early but MASA managed to take the lead in the middle of the first half and held onto it leading into halftime. Once the second half started, MSO came out all guns a blazing. However, MASA were the defending champions for a reason, and managed to respond against every offensive set and defensive stop that MSO produced; as hard as MSO fought, MASA as impressively as us, fighting hard to maintain their lead. In the end, it just seemed so close yet so far, as MSO succumbed to MASA’s resolute play and suffered an 8 point loss, allowing MASA to retain their gold in basketball.

The combination of results placed MSO third overall, a disappointing return of the overall defending champ of the 2010 Sports Carnival. However, the fighting spirit and passion of our players did not go unnoticed, earning accolades among many who witnessed their heroic efforts throughout the event.

The Sports Carnival is an annual event, and we hope that players and supporters alike will return for next year’s edition and help us retain the championship!