Dr. Norza ZAKARIA Advocating Unity Through Sport

Dr. Norza ZAKARIA, President of Olympic Council of Malaysia (NOC Malaysia) and Vice President of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), strongly emphasized the role of sport as a unifying force.

“Sport has the power to foster unity among people, regardless of race, ethnic background, religion or social status,” said Dr. Norza ZAKARIA while attending the final match of the 2025 Santokh SINGH Cup Under-18 Unity Futsal Championships, held on Saturday, 23rd August 2025, at the WNZ Sports Arena in Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia.

The Championships, organized by the SportsUnite Sports Club, recipient of the 2017 IOC Trophy for “Sport Beyond Borders”, reflect the club’s ongoing aspiration and noble mission to unite young Malaysians of all races through sport, while simultaneously contributing to nation-building.

In attendance to support the event were national Football legend Mr. Santokh SINGH, bronze medalist at the 1974 Asian Games and double gold medalist at the 1977 and 1979 SEA Games, Mr. Ahmad Feisal AHMAD TAJUDDIN, Treasurer of NOC Malaysia and Vice President of the Malaysian Cricket Association, Mr. Dina Rizal ABDULLAH, founder and advisor of SportsUnite Sports Club and staff members of NOC Malaysia.

The Championships, open to all Malaysians under the age of 18, carried the important requirement that each participating team include players from more than one ethnic group. Approximately 120 youths took part, representing Malaysia’s diverse communities including Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Dayak, Kadazan and others.

A total of 16 teams competed namely Court Soccer A, Court Soccer B, Phantom Strike FT, Amrash FT, KTEP U18, Matrix FT 07, RG, FOP, BIB, CNS Gym FT, Kacok FT, TSP FT, Pekan Batu, Hanabi FT, Futsal Star and RMM FT.

The results of the 2025 Santokh SINGH Cup Under-18 Unity Futsal Championships were as follows:

1. Champion: 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗕
2. Runner-Up: 𝗖𝗡𝗦 𝗚𝘆𝗺 𝗙𝗧
3. Third-Place (Joint): 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗔 and 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿

In the final, Court Soccer B defeated CNS Gym FT with a score of 3-1. Dr. Norza ZAKARIA had the honour of presenting the medals to both the champions and runners-up, while Mr. Santokh SINGH and Mr. Ahmad Feisal AHMAD TAJUDDIN jointly presented the medals to the third-place winners. The Championships also offered cash prizes of RM 1,000 for the champion, RM 600 for the runner-up and RM 200 each for the two third-place teams, in addition to medals and hampers.

During the press conference following the prize giving ceremony, Dr. Norza ZAKARIA reaffirmed his belief that sport is one of the most powerful tools to bridge differences within Malaysia’s multi-racial and multi-ethnic society.

“The effort to nurture unity must begin at the grassroots level and among the youth” he stressed.

“We are grateful to the SportsUnite Sports Club for their dedication in organizing this Unity Futsal Championships, which is fully aligned with this noble mission”.

In support of the initiative, NOC Malaysia contributed RM 10,000 from its Trust Fund, which is chaired by Dr. Norza ZAKARIA.

Dr. Norza ZAKARIA concluded by paying tribute to Malaysia’s Football icon:

“On behalf of NOC Malaysia, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to our Football legend, Santokh SINGH, for his unwavering contributions to grassroots sports development, even after his retirement from competitive Football and despite his advancing age”.