THE largest group of Malaysian contingent to the 2025 World University Games (WUG) in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, left from Terminal 1 of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here last night.
A total of 41 individuals, consisting of 15 from badminton, followed by swimming (eight), taekwondo (11) and seven officials, including members of the medical team and media, boarded a flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before continuing their journey to Dusseldorf, Germany.
The opening ceremony of the 2025 WUG is scheduled at the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena this Wednesday (July 16).
Malaysia, which is targeting seven medals regardless of colour in this edition, will participate in six of the 19 sports, involving the participation of 64 athletes, consisting of 39 men and 25 women.
The six sports that the national contingent will participate in are artistic gymnastics, badminton, archery, athletics, swimming and taekwondo
Among the country’s main hopes in this edition include national sprint champion Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi and national 400-metre record holder Umar Osman.
Another is the national trio of female archers who will also compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. They are Syagiera Mashayikh, Ariana Nur Dania Mohamad Zairi and Nurul Azreena Mohamad Fazil.
In the 2023 edition in Chengdu, China, the national contingent recorded the best achievement in the history of its participation in the WUG with a collection of one gold, one silver and five bronze medals.
The 2025 WUG, which involves the participation of about 150 countries and 8,500 athletes, is scheduled to take place from July 16 to 27 – BERNAMA
