Kota Kinabalu: The DPLI UMS 2026 Sports Carnival organised by Diploma in Postgraduate Education (DPLI) students, Faculty of Education and Sports Studies, Universiti Malaysia Sabah was lively with the participation of external teams and UMS students in three main events, namely netball, volleyball and futsal.
The programme was organised as an experiential learning platform to provide practical exposure to prospective teachers in the aspects of co-curricular management and organisation.
Through the organisation of the carnival, DPLI students had the opportunity to apply sports and co-curricular management theories in addition to honing their leadership, communication, teamwork, problem-solving and event management skills professionally.
The carnival saw the participation of 16 netball teams, eight volleyball teams and eight futsal teams, thus creating a competitive, lively and sportsmanship-filled competition atmosphere.
The participation of external teams from UMS also added value to the programme by opening up space for interaction, networking and healthy competition between university staff and the external community.
The opening and closing ceremonies were officiated by the Dean of the Faculty of Education and Sports Studies, UMS, PM Dr Soon Singh a/l Bikar Singh who stressed that sports are not just a medium for leisure and physical fitness, but rather an important platform in shaping the values of leadership, discipline, cooperation and sportsmanship among students.
According to him, such programmes also help develop the potential of participants holistically in line with the country’s higher education aspirations which emphasise a balance between academic excellence and personal development.
He also expressed his appreciation to the organisers, implementing committee, technical officers, volunteers and all participants who gave their high commitment throughout the programme.
He said that the experience, friendship and spirit of unity built through the carnival are more meaningful than mere victory.
The success of the programme was also supported by the lecturers of the Co-Curricular Management and Administration Course (DT50502), DPLI, Faculty of Education and Sports Studies UMS, namely Dr Frederick Josue Frederick Mojilon @ Mohd Fadhil Abdullah, PM Dr Hasnol Noordin and PM Dr Mohd Rozilee Wazir.
The carnival was led by Choo Hao Ming as the Main Director of the UMS Sports Carnival 2026 with the collaboration of Jemslee Cheng as the Director of Section 1 for the futsal event, Lincoln Issac Shim as the Director of Section 2 for the volleyball event and Khairul Izhwan Hamdan as the Director of Section 3 for the netball event.
In the futsal event, the HUMS Team emerged as the champion followed by the DPLI Team as the runner-up while the Kapal Laut Team came in third place.
The best goalkeeper award was won by Saripudin Ladah from HUMS while Mohd Syazwan Mohd Nor from the DPLI Team was crowned the best player.
HUMS also received recognition as the best team.
For the volleyball event, the TPARIANS team was crowned champion followed by Wara Wara as runner-up, SIN VT in third place and Newbiee VT in fourth place.
Meanwhile, in the netball event, the Pradian’s team emerged as champion followed by Chillax as runner-up, Grazetas in third place and Duchess NB in fourth place.
The DPLI UMS 2026 Sports Carnival is seen to have successfully achieved its objectives in providing practical exposure to prospective teachers on co-curricular management in addition to cultivating a healthy lifestyle, sportsmanship and unity among participants.
It is hoped that such programmes can be continued in the future with wider involvement and a more comprehensive impact on university staff and the local community.
