Limkokwing University to design Malaysian para-athletes’ attire for Paris 2024 Paralympics
Malaysian para-athletes competing in the upcoming 2024 Paralympics will sport newly-designed outfits in Paris, France, thanks to Limkokwing University.
This is part of the memorandum of understanding signed between Paralympic Council Malaysia (PCM) and the private university on March 5. Present at the signing ceremony were PCM president Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin and the university’s group chief brand officer, Datuk Tiffanee Marie Lim (main image).
PCM also signed deals on the same day with eight other Strategic Partners – Asas Arena, Evomania, Mitra Network, Savvy Travel & Tours, Creative Sports Network, Bulb Communique, Scotieg Entertainment, and Percetakan Advanco.
The partnerships aim to boost the Paralympic Movement and help PCM win more gold medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
Limkokwing University will design the official jersey and attire to be used during the opening ceremony. Lim confirmed the new designs will be revealed at the university’s main campus in Cyberjaya, Selangor, later this month.
On Jan 18, a delegation from the university visited PCM’s headquarters and the Paralympic Sports Centre of Excellence in Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur.
The university is no stranger to the national jersey’s history, which has been changed several times, over the past two decades.
A nationwide competition was held in 2005 to introduce a uniform national kit. The competition attracted over 4,000 entries. The winner was Zulkifli Abdul Aziz, an assistant architect from Johor.
Limkokwing University College, as it was then known, improved the winning design to five tiger stripes. The design was launched by then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that same year.
A local company, Mesuma Sports Sdn Bhd, produced the jerseys for the national contingent. The stripes were reduced to three, to make it “commercial friendly”.
Mesuma and the National Sports Council (NSC) enjoyed a cordial relationship, but it turned sour when NSC entered into an agreement with Telekom Malaysia to launch the Team Malaysia Panthera jersey on April 28, 2011.
Mesuma was unhappy as it was the registered proprietor of the trademark for 10 years – from July 9, 2009, to July 9, 2019. NSC, an agency under the Youth and Sports Ministry, insisted it was the rightful proprietor of the design. A legal tussle ensued, and the case went to the Federal Court. NSC eventually won the rights.
A new design by Melinda Looi was introduced in 2014 when Khairy Jamaluddin was named Youth and Sports minister. After Khairy left in 2018, another design saw stripes from the top to the bottom of the jersey. In 2022, a tribal-like national jersey was introduced.
It is unclear if the new design by Limkokwing University will be adopted by the able-bodied athletes ahead of the Paris Olympics.
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