The Ministry of Education (MOE)-MSSM-MILO Sports Awards 2019 were presented to top-performing student athletes for their outstanding achievements, as well as to teachers and coaches for their dedication and contribution to Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM) competitions in the eligibility year of 2019. The presentation was postponed for one year due to the pandemic.
Recognising excellence in 13 categories including rare top honour, Gold Sportsperson Award, the ceremony was launched by Datuk Dr. Radzi Jidin, Minister of Education Malaysia.
For this edition of the MOE-MSSM-MILO Sports Awards, one such notable honouree is the Gold Sportsperson Award recipient, rising rhythmic gymnastics queen Izzah Amzan. She began her training at the tender age of 5 and went on to become one of Malaysia’s youngest athletes to compete at the SEA Games at age 17 in 2017. No stranger to the MOE-MSSM-MILO Awards, she was honoured with the Sportsgirl Award for the year 2018. The determination and courage that she learned throughout the years spurred her to accomplish many remarkable achievements, the most recent of which are the gold and silver medals that she won at the SEA Games in 2019.
Unlike the other categories, the Gold Sportsperson Award is not presented every year and is strictly reserved for student athletes with excellent achievements in both sports and academics. Only a handful of athletes have received this recognition, considered to be the highest accolade in the MOE-MSSM-MILO Sports Awards. Past recipients include Datuk Nicol David, Dato Pandelela Rinong and most recently, national junior squash sensation Aifa Azman.
“It is truly an honour to be recognised this way and be placed among my idols. I am grateful to MOE, MILO, my coaches and teachers at Bukit Jalil Sports School as well as my family, friends and supporters who have been by my side through thick and thin. This is the result of your support and belief in me. There is still a lot more for me to learn and achieve. This Award is the boost of confidence and motivation that I need as I continue my journey,” said Izzah.
Ng Su Yen, Business Executive Officer – MILO Business Unit, Nestlé (Malaysia) Berhad said, “MILO believes that sport builds an individual’s ability and character to compete and win later in life beyond the sporting arena, by nurturing in them values that are critical for success such as courage, perseverance and tenacity. Therefore, it is important that our young athletes are supported from the ground up and given access to training, mentoring, coaching, assistance and motivation as well as the opportunity to learn those values so they can achieve their full potential.”
“This year’s honourees have demonstrated extraordinary feats and exemplified what it truly means to be a champion. Congratulations to all of them. We hope their successes will inspire their peers as well as young Malaysians to go further,” she added.
The MOE-MSSM- MILO Sports Awards 2019 honour roll is as follows:
| Gold Sportsperson Award | Izzah Bt. Amzan (Rhythmic Gymnastics) |
| Most Promising Athlete Award (Female) | Loo Yie Bing (Swimming) |
| Most Promising Athlete Award (Male) | Wong Lee Hong (Squash) |
| Special Education Athlete Award (Female) | Siti Nor Insyirah Bt. Mohamad Ariffin (Athletics) |
| Special Education Athlete Award (Male) | Jonah Chang Anak Rigan (Athletics) |
| Special Award (Female) | Nur Amisha Bt. Azrilrizal (Muay Thai) |
| Special Award (Male) | Mohammad Rifdean bin Masdor (Muay Thai) |
| Sportsgirl Award | Iman Alisha binti Fakhri Yassin (Rhythmic Gymnastics) |
| Sportsboy Award | Khiew Hoe Yean (Swimming) |
| Dedicated Teacher Award (Female) | Chang Siang Cheng (Athletics) |
| Dedicated Teacher Award (Male) | Yeshodh A/L Parameswaran (Cricket) |
| Coaching Excellence Award | Mohd Shahril bin Shahidan (Squash) |
| Leadership Award | Tuan Haji Mohamed Rafed bin Ismail (Hockey) |
Every year, more than 12,000 student athletes compete in over 24 sports on the MSSM platform, many of whom would go on to make Malaysia proud at regional and international competitions. MSSM jumpstarted the career of numerous Malaysia’s world-class athletes, including national badminton legend and Malaysia’s first Olympic medalist Datuk Rashid Sidek, eight-time World Squash Open champion Datuk Nicol David, Malaysia’s first female Olympic medalist Dato Pandalela Rinong (diving) and two-time Paralympic gold medalist Abdul Latif Romly (long jump), as well as recent Olympians Nur Dhabitah Sabri (diving), Welson Sim (swimming) and Farah Ann Abdul Hadi (artistic gymnastics) – all of whom are past recipients of the MOE-MSSM-MILO® Sports Awards themselves.
For more information on the MOE-MSSM-MILO® Sports Awards, go to: https://www.milo.com.my/get-active/moe-mssm-milo-awards-get-active.
Izzah Bt. Amzan – Gold Sportsperson Award (Rhythmic Gymnastics):
“To achieve success as an athlete, mental strength is just as important as physical strength. Sport teaches me that every single day. Sport also teaches me passion and patience to get to where I am today.”
Khiew Hoe Yean – Sportsboy Award (Swimming):
“Training has been especially tough in the past year due to COVID-19 where I was not able to swim. To stay in top form, more than ever, I needed to be disciplined and manage my time better. But overcoming this challenge helped me grow as a person.”
Iman Alisha binti Fakhri Yassin – Sportsgirl Award (Rhythmic Gymnastics):
“Sport teaches me discipline and independence as I have been training and traveling on my own, away from my parents, ever since I was eight. To excel in anything, we need those values that will help push past our limits and achieve greater things.”
Nur Amisha Bt. Azrilrizal – Special Award (Female) (Muay Thai):
“I learn how to be a leader, how to be an effective team player, how to respect others, how to be disciplined and how to communicate better from sport. It has helped me be not only a better athlete but also a better person. Sport has also helped me be strong mentally. It pushes you and there will be tough times, but once you overcome it, you will come out better and stronger.”
Mohammad Rifdean bin Masdor – Special Award (Male) (Muay Thai):
“I am who I am today because of what sport taught me. One of the values that I learned is patience as the journey has not been easy for me because I have been away from my family since I was 15. Sport also taught me how to be confident not just in the ring, but also in life.”
Credited to MILO