The First Olympic Day Run With Green Initiatives Held at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM)

The NOC Malaysia, in collaboration with Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), made history with the successful staging of the Olympic Day Run 2026, which was held on Sunday, 21st June 2026, at the UTeM Campus in Durian Tunggal, Melaka.

The prestigious event was officially flagged off by H.E. Dr. Mohd Ali MOHD RUSTAM, Governor of the State of Melaka and Chancellor of UTeM, alongside Dr. Norza ZAKARIA, President of NOC Malaysia, President of South East Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) and Vice President of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) for the Southeast Asia Zone; Dr. Haji Nur Azmi AHMAD, Deputy President of NOC Malaysia, President of Malaysia Karate Federation and Chairperson of the Olympic Day Run 2026 Organising Committee; Prof. Dr. Massila KAMALRUDIN, Vice Chancellor of UTeM and Prof. Dr. Mohd Rizal SALLEH, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International) of UTeM.

The Olympic Day Run 2026 was also graced by the presence of several Executive Board Members of NOC Malaysia, namely Mdm. Nurul Huda ABDULLAH OLY (Vice President), Dr. Kim Fatt CHONG (Vice President), Mr. Mohd Nasir ALI (Secretary General) and Mr. Haji Ahmad Arif ASTAMAN (Assistant Secretary General).

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Day Run organised by NOC Malaysia, this year’s edition adopted the special theme of “𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲”, in alignment with UTeM’s Green Campus Initiative and the selection of the Historic City of Melaka as the host location.

In addition, the organisation of the Olympic Day Run 2026 incorporated ten (10) sustainable actions aimed at reducing waste, minimising environmental impact and promoting greater awareness of green practices among participants and the wider community. NOC Malaysia has recognised this significant achievement as “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀” and has officially registered it with the Malaysia Book of Records.

Dr. Norza ZAKARIA expressed his appreciation to the entire UTeM community for their strong support and commitment in ensuring the success of the Olympic Day Run, which attracted the participation of more than 5,000 UTeM students.

“Olympic Day is not merely a sporting celebration; it is a global platform that transcends national borders and unites communities regardless of background, in line with the Olympic Values of Excellence, Respect and Friendship” said Dr. Norza ZAKARIA.

As a proud Melaka-born, Dr. Norza ZAKARIA also took the opportunity to contribute back to his home state by announcing a personal contribution of RM 50,000 to UTeM to establish the 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱. The award aims to recognise graduates and future engineers who not only excel academically but are also actively involved in sports and have demonstrated sporting excellence.

The vibrancy of the Olympic Day Run 2026 was further enhanced by the presence of a distinguished line-up of national legends, Olympians and sports stars who provided support and inspiration to the participants. Among them were 𝗠𝗿. 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗻 𝗦𝗢𝗛 𝗢𝗟𝗬 (Melaka-born Football legend), 𝗠𝗿. 𝗠𝗶𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗻 𝗡𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗪𝗜 𝗢𝗟𝗬 (Melaka-born Hockey legend), 𝗠𝗿. 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝗢𝗟𝗬 (Melaka-born Hockey legend), 𝗠𝗿. 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹 𝗟𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗭 𝗢𝗟𝗬 (Melaka-born Hockey legend), 𝗠𝗿. 𝗛𝗼𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗞𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗪 𝗢𝗟𝗬 (national Swimming star), 𝗠𝗿. 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗟𝗬 (national Diving star) and 𝗠𝗿. 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗜 (Melaka-born Wushu World Champion).