KOTA KINABALU: Sept 27, 2026 – The Sabah contingent bagged 25 gold medals at the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) meet, surpassing its earlier target of 24 golds.
The success is hoped to lay the foundation for sustaining the winning momentum at future competitions, said Sabah State Education Department (JPN) director Abidin Marjan.
“Maintain the momentum in the coming years. After MSSM, we are targeting the Commonwealth Games and Sukma. We want to see real success produced by Sabah’s own homegrown athletes,” he said when welcoming the contingent at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) yesterday.
He said the success proved the true capability of Sabah student-athletes to reach a higher level, provided discipline continues to be given serious attention by all parties.
According to Abidin, the responsibility of maintaining excellence does not rest solely on athletes. It also requires commitment from coaches, managers, parents and the entire student sports development ecosystem.
He stressed that the “just seeking experience” mentality must be discarded. JPN Sabah will not send athletes merely for exposure.
“Do not compete if our mentality is merely participation or exposure. JPN Sabah will no longer send athletes on the grounds of exposure; instead, we compete fully to become champions,” he stressed.
Abidin is optimistic that Sabah student-athletes have great potential to represent Malaysia at the international level. He highlighted the success of Sabah athletes currently competing at the Asian Games in Japan, including in karate and sepak takraw.
He also expressed appreciation to team managers, coaches, parents, the media and all parties who assisted the Sabah contingent throughout the competition.
“It is hoped that this achievement of 25 gold medals will spur Sabah student-athletes to continue chasing greater success at future competitions,” he said.
