NUS wins at the MBA Olympics 2023

With a common passion for victory and dedication to weeks of training, a total of 37 athletes from Team NUS brought home eight gold medals, four silver medals and three bronze medals in events such as the Men’s and Women’s relay, Men’s 100m dash, Badminton in all Men and Women’s singles/mixed doubles, Female Table Tennis singles, and Futsal.

We speak to Sayuri Kadota and Kim Kahyun, President and Vice President of the NUS MBA Sports & Wellness Club, to find out how the team prepared for the various events and how they feel about achieving overall victory at this year’s edition of the MBA Olympics which was held at NTU.

How did Team NUS prepare for the MBA Olympics?

We began preparing for the MBA Olympics in September 2022, as soon as we were elected as the President and Vice President of the Sports & Wellness Club. Firstly, with not much details about the events at this point, we decided to involve as many students as possible to ensure a fair selection of players while building an overall strong team.

We planned and conducted an internal tournament to select the athletes as well as captains for the team sports. Following which, each sport group would book the fields and courts for practice.

After the winter break, we ramped up and began preparing in earnest. During this time, we also got to know more details about the various events, i.e. there would have been many types of sprinting events (e.g. relay, dash, fun relay); and since speed would be crucial for overall victory as a result, we conducted another internal competition to select our fastest sprinters.

Once the players were selected, we chose a captain for each team to plan for their own practices. The frequency of practice varied for each team, for example, the Badminton and Table Tennis teams practised twice a week while the Female relay team practised a total of three times after selection.

What do you think were the team’s strengths and advantages that contributed to NUS’s win?

We believe that the active leadership and talent of each athlete, and their teamwork were key strengths that contributed to Team NUS’s success. The captains, in particular, played a crucial role in leading their respective teams by organising practices and communicating the rules and details of their sports. They also took good care of their teams, training hard together and encouraging one another.

Additionally, we were surprised by each player’s strong desire to win. Despite their busy schedules, everyone took the practices seriously, and it was also amazing to see our equal commitment levels from both our full-time and part-time classmates.

Finally, we must highlight that this victory was made possible by not only the athletes, but also the entire Team NUS in general. The support of non-athlete students contributed immensely to our victory. For example, we could not have formed a strong team without the core members of Sports & Wellness Club who organised internal tournaments and competitions for player selection. The students who came down to NTU to support our team also motivated everyone greatly.

Credit: Photo by David Chew (NUS MBA)

What were the highlights and most memorable moments from the event?

Sayuri: Winning the event was definitely one of the most significant achievements, but the opportunity to build friendships with students from other business schools in Singapore was the best part of this event.

It was fantastic to see our athletes interacting with students from NTU and ESSEC during lunch breaks and in between games while spectating. We are even planning to practise together with students from other schools whom we met at the MBA Olympics. I personally communicated with the NTU representatives for preparation, and it was an unexpected benefit that we built a strong friendship during the process.

Kahyun: For me, it was when Grace and Tomoko still came down to support the team even though they were injured during practice and could not take part in the events. Both of them had put in much effort and time to train for the competition.

As a result, all the teams were very motivated as they wanted to achieve victory for both Grace and Tomoko and share it with them. So even when I was running, I gave my best and ran above my limit so as not to disappoint them and the team.

How does it feel to win eight gold medals?

Sayuri: I could not have been prouder of our team’s performance. Our athletes’ dedication and hard work, in spite of their busy class schedules, jobs, and family commitments, was truly inspiring. To be honest, as the biggest business school in Singapore, there was certainly the pressure to perform, but I am relieved and overjoyed that we were able to exceed expectations and come out on top in the end.

To sum up, I think it was really heartening and endearing to see the strong leadership of each of our  student participants and their teamwork, and how everyone still had fun during the entire process of the games.

Kahyun: I am very happy to have kept my word and brought a gold medal to Team NUS, I am also very proud of all my fellow team members. We sweat a lot but laughed a lot more, and it does not matter if we win or lose, the gold medal is not the most important thing.

I really appreciate everyone from Team NUS who gave their all, regardless of where you have a gold, silver, bronze or even no medal. What matters most is that you all have tried your best.