IN today’s sports era, academics are extremely important because successful athletes must also be strategic thinkers.
Gone are the days when brawn was all you needed to excel in sports, National Sports Council (NSC) head of the Malaysian Athlete Career and Education (MACE) secretariat Datuk Shalin Zulkifli told StarEdu.
Powerhouse countries like the United States, Japan and China actively support student-athletes because they understand that the determination and drive these athletes develop can be carried forward on and off the field, she added.
“For example, a study from the University of Louisville showed that during the 2020 Summer Olympics, 75% of the 600 athletes who competed for Team US were enrolled in colleges or universities.
“Most Olympians and Olympic medallists, including Serena and Venus Williams, Yao Ming, Dina Asher-Smith, and Ibtihaj Muhammad, have at least one college degree,” she said.
The latest darling of social media, 27-year-old American Gabby Thomas, ran for Harvard while completing a degree in neurobiology and later earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas before being crowned Olympic 200m champion in Paris.
Among the 26 Malaysian athletes who competed in the recently concluded Paris Olympics 2024, some are either graduates or currently in the midst of their tertiary education journey (see table).
Notably, under the National Sports Vision 2030 (VSN2030) policy document, the Youth and Sports Ministry has been tasked with boosting sports culture and achievements by offering scholarships and opportunities for outstanding athletes – those who have won medals at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) or in government-recognised international tournaments – to further their studies.
Shalin said based on data at MACE, many student-athletes face challenges during their secondary school years, with only about 25 to 30% of the 500 athletes enrolled in the Podium and National Backup Programme managing to secure spots in local universities.
“A large percentage of student-athletes in our national programme struggle to meet the minimum entry requirement of three credits needed to enrol in local universities,” she said, acknowledging that while progress has been made over the years, there is still significant work to be done to better support and prepare our athletes so that they are better able to compete with leading Olympic nations, particularly those in Asia.
She said the sports industry in Malaysia has yet to achieve the multimillion-dollar scale seen in some of the world’s leading sports nations.
Therefore, to ensure that a student-athlete is better prepared for life after retirement, it is essential for them to have at least a degree.
“That’s the basic. Most athletes, specifically Olympians, are successful in both sports and academics. It is possible for athletes to achieve (greatness) in both if they put in the same amount of effort in their sporting pursuits and studies,” said Shalin, who is a former national tenpin bowler.
The 46-year-old’s outstanding contributions to the sport include capturing two golds in the team event at the World Championships, four golds at the Asian Games, and 20 golds at the South-East Asian (SEA) Games, making her the second-highest gold medal contributor in the SEA Games.
Shalin, who remains a competitive athlete on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour in the US, won the Malaysian Sportswoman award five times – in 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2002 – the International Bowler of the Year award in 2002, and was inducted into the International Bowling Hall of Fame in 2004.
“Every athlete, including myself, has been a student-athlete at some point in their life.
“I spent 11 years in primary and secondary schools, and then continued my studies majoring in sports psychology and coaching at Universiti Malaya (UM) from 1999 to 2006.
“The best advice I can give future student-athletes is to focus more on quality over quantity.
“Study at your own pace because you should not feel pressured to complete your tertiary education within a certain time frame or compare yourself to your peers,” she said, adding that the priorities and responsibilities of a student-athlete are very different from those of full-time students.
“Go at your own pace and be ready to work hard both on and off the field. At the end of the day, it will make you a better, more complete athlete and person,” she asserted.
Misconceptions
In Malaysia, a common misconception is that student-athletes prioritise sports over academics, leading to the assumption that they cannot excel academically, said Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Health Sciences Assoc Prof Dr Garry Kwan.
He said this misconception ignores the fact that there are many student-athletes who are deeply committed to their studies and have ambitions to pursue careers in fields like medicine, engineering and business once their sports careers are over.
“Many Malaysian student-athletes strive for excellence in both academics and sports, proving that with dedication and hard work, they can achieve success in multiple areas.
“I myself have a few student-athletes currently pursuing their doctorates, as well as courses in medicine and engineering – they are all doing well in sports.
“Thus, challenging these misconceptions is essential to fostering a supportive environment for student-athletes, allowing them to thrive both academically and athletically,” the secretary general of the Asian-South Pacific Association of Sport Psychology (ASPASP) said, stressing that education holds great importance for student-athletes in Malaysia.
The value of education, he added, goes beyond being a fallback option if the student-athlete’s sports career fails to take off.
“In Malaysia, as sports gain more recognition and support, combining education with athletics helps young people grow both academically and personally.
“Education provides student-athletes with essential knowledge and critical thinking skills that are vital for navigating life beyond their sports pursuits,” he said.
Universities and colleges often emphasise holistic education, encouraging students to engage in various extracurricular activities, including sports, he said, adding that this enriches their academic experience while broadening their horizons, and allowing them to explore different fields of study and develop a well-rounded perspective in life.
Agreeing, UM faculty of Sports and Exercise Sciences senior lecturer Dr Rizal Mohd Razman said most modern tertiary content embeds soft skills and communication in the curriculum to prepare student-athletes for life’s challenges.
An often overlooked aspect is the maturity that a student-athlete develops from being around peers outside of their sports circle, he said.
Away from the protection and guidance of their coach or management, he added, student-athletes learn to be more independent, develop a stronger sense of responsibility, and improve their decision-making skills.
“This all leads to a more mature mentality that will inevitably translate to better on-field performance as well.
“Formal education is not only about academic content anymore. It equips student-athletes with life skills to achieve their full potential,” said Prof Rizal, a SEA Games 2015 bronze medallist.
Education, he said, helps student-athletes develop a holistic appreciation of their self-worth, and place personal value in something other than sports.
“It helps them realise there’s more to life than their sporting achievements. This understanding can ease the pressure they feel, making it more enjoyable and easier for them to achieve success,” he added.
