TARCians Unite In the Spirit of Sportsmanship

The customary group photo of TARCians before the start of the 8th Sports Challenge.

The much anticipated Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (‘TAR UC’) Sports Challenge made a grand return this year for the 8^th time, attracting close to 300 alumni, students and staff of TAR UC who signed up to participate. Jointly organised by the Federation of TAR College Alumni Associations Malaysia (1989) (‘FTARC AAM’) and TAR UC, the Sports Challenge has endeared itself to the TARC community as the event fosters close relationships between TAR UC alumni, staff and students through sports. Sports Challenge is also one of the key activities spearheaded by FTARC AAM which is an umbrella body consisting of the School of Business Studies Ex Student Association TARC Kuala Lumpur, Engineering Alumni Association TAR UC Selangor and School of Arts & Science Alumni Association TARC Kuala Lumpur.

Held on 19 October 2019, alumni, students and staff arrived at the Sports Complex of TAR UC Kuala Lumpur Main Campus in droves donned in black t-shirt which was the attire for the event. The atmosphere in the Sports Complex was cheerful and vibrant as TARCians mingled and caught up with each other over breakfast. As part of the tradition of the event, the customary group photograph of the enthusiastic participants with Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei, President of TAR UC, took place with cheers and laughter filling the hall with positive vibes. Another tradition of the Sports Challenge is the opening act by distinguished guests usually performed by playing a short game of a selected sport. This time, the selected sport was table tennis where Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei made the first serve and he was accompanied by Assoc Prof Dr Chook Ka Joo, Vice President of TAR UC, Mr Roger Ng, Organising Chairman of the 8^th Sports Challenge 2019, and Mr Mark Hew, Deputy President of FTARC AAM. The brief table tennis game officially kicked off the 8^th Sports Challenge.

All the participants began dispersing to the designated areas around the campus to compete in the sport they signed up for. There were altogether 11 types of sports that participants competed in namely volleyball, futsal, netball, water polo, table tennis, badminton, carom, darts, mahjong, 3-on-3 basketball and Chinese chess.

Despite the diverse composition of the participants in terms of age where it traverses from baby boomers through to generation Z, the scene at the Sports Challenge was surprisingly one of camaraderie and fellowship. The old and the young got together to have fun competing in the games and shared laughter with no barrier between them. Almost every game had players from different age groups which offered warm glimpses of senior players giving a tip or two to the younger players although they were competing against each other and light moments of laughter between the younger generation and the senior generation. Encik Mohd Radzi Bin Bahzin who is a staff of TAR UC shared his experience participating in the Sports Challenge. “This is my fourth time joining the Sports Challenge as this is one of the events in TAR UC that I always look forward to taking part in. I always sign up for badminton because it is my favourite sport. I have never won yet as I can’t keep up with the speed of the students whom I compete with but it does not discourage me in any way. In fact, for me, this event is as an excellent way to mingle and build friendships with alumni and students. This is a very good initiative and I hope that in the following years, more sports will be added to the event in order to encourage bigger participation among the TARC community,” he said.

The whole campus was in a carnival mood especially at the outdoor courts as well as at the Olympic-sized swimming pool where participants enjoyed the games among themselves sans the competitive spirit. In addition, friends and family members of the participants gathered to cheer and support their loved ones taking part in the Sports Challenge. TAR UC student, Hariharan Saswi who is currently studying the Diploma in Real Estate Management shared his first-time experience joining the Sports Challenge. “I love sports and when my friend told me about this event, I wasted no time to sign up for futsal. Even though this was my first experience, I really had a good time playing futsal with other students as well as with some of the staff and alumni. Playing with my seniors who are much older is a different feeling and I do not think I will have any other opportunity to play sports with the staff of TAR UC except in this Sports Challenge. All in all, I had a great time and I will surely take part again in the future,” he opined.

Irrespective of whether it was indoor or outdoor game, the atmosphere was bursting with equal level of excitement and energy, no less. Ms Joanne Ee who completed her Bachelor of Accounting (Hons) explained what encouraged her to take part in this year’s Sports Challenge. “My husband and I graduated from TAR UC. So upon knowing this Sports Challenge is happening today, we grab this great opportunity not only to compete in the games, but to catch up with old friends who studied with us and also to possibly meet our former lecturers. I really enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of the Sports Challenge and the experience of playing carom with current TAR UC students and staff is an unforgettable memory for me. I will surely take part in the next Sports Challenge,” she commented.

Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei also did not miss the opportunity to take part in his first Sports Challenge where he competed in table tennis. In his brief sharing during the closing ceremony, he said: “I would like to commend the Organising Committee for their continuous effort to ensure TARCians are able to take part in this fantastic sports event. I personally enjoyed myself and I am very lucky to be in the top team in table tennis. TAR UC is indeed very fortunate to have great alumni. Although they have completed their student life, they still have the vibrant and energetic spirit which they wish to share with the current students and also staff. Congratulations to FTARC AAM for your dedication and commitment to ensure the TARCian spirit continues to grow strong”. Before giving away prizes to the top teams for each game, Mr Roger Ng expressed his appreciation to his committee for the excellent team spirit in organising the Sports Challenge. “I am happy for the opportunity to lead the organising committee for this year’s Sports Challenge and I sincerely hope all the participants had a great time participating in the various sports. We will continue to do our best to further improve the many more upcoming Sports Challenge set to take place in TAR UC,” he added.

The Sports Challenge concluded with roaring cheers from everyone with the announcement of the overall champion for 2019 which went to the alumni team, followed by TAR UC student team and finally TAR UC staff team taking the third placing. Winner(s) of each game received a medal and alumni team being the overall champion was handed the Challenge Trophy.

Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei (second from right), making the first serve to officiate the start of the 8th Sports Challenge. Joining him are Assoc Prof Dr Chook Ka Joo (rightmost), Mr Mark Hew (foreground leftmost) and Mr Roger Ng (foreground second from left).

TAR UC campus ground came alive with display of sportsmanship and teamwork from the participants in the various games.

TAR UC alumni team with the Challenge Trophy after being announced as the Overall Champion of the 8th Sports Challenge.