The opening ceremony started exactly how you’d expect an international university event to start: emcees screaming into microphones like their lives depended on it.

And somehow, it worked.

The crowd slowly woke up under the burning heat while country after country walked into the field in traditional clothes, carrying flags, fixing outfits and trying not to melt. Africa entered first, then Bangladesh, Brunei, China, Nepal, India, Indonesia, Japan and more. Every group had their own energy. Some walked in calmly, some acted like they were entering the Olympics opening ceremony.

Brunei came in LOUD. Korea came in prepared. Sri Lanka came in like they owned the place.

Honestly, Sri Lanka understood the assignment.

People were screaming for their own countries like football fans. It felt less like a university event and more like several national holidays accidentally happening on the same field.

The performances somehow kept getting better too. Korea absolutely took it too far, synchronized dancing, confidence, drama, everything. The crowd was mesmerized. I’m declaring them winners for the vibes alone.

Sri Lanka’s performance had one of the loudest cheers of the day. Their transitions were smooth, their crowd support was insane and it felt like they just knew how to show up for each other. One Sri Lankan performer mentioned they practiced for around two weeks and joined because dancing was “something different.” Respect honestly, because if I had to practice in that heat for two weeks I would’ve given up immediately.

Between performances, everyone rushed to the centre for photos like celebrities at a red carpet event. Different flags, different languages, different people, same obsession with taking group pictures.

The emcees carried the entire ceremony on their backs. They kept trying new ways to wake the crowd up while the rest of us slowly dehydrated in the sun.

Then came musical chairs.

For some reason, this became extremely serious. The competition started before the sports even did. Korea won, obviously. At this point they were collecting victories for fun.

Tug of war followed and immediately became aggressive. People were pulling early and acting like national honour depended on a rope.

Badminton: Confusion, Cork Flying Everywhere, and Delays

Day one of badminton started with thunder outside and confusion inside.

Myanmar vs South Korea kicked things off at 8AM sharp while Court 2 apparently decided punctuality was optional and started around 45 minutes late.

Some matches were exciting. Some were just people sitting around waiting for updates nobody had. A few players were frustrated because of forfeits and scheduling confusion. Some teams apparently arrived ready to play only to find out the other side had already forfeited. Great cardio though, walk in, win without touching the shuttlecock, go home.

The atmosphere on Day One was… quiet.

At one point Court 2 was so silent you could probably hear someone unzip their badminton bag from across the venue. Meanwhile, random cheers would explode from the other court like jump scares.

Still, the sportsmanship stayed solid. Players shook hands, encouraged each other and kept things respectful even when the organization felt slightly held together by hope and probably WhatsApp messages.

Day Two was WAY better.

Bangladesh doubles played like they shared one brain cell in the best way possible, completely synchronized. Their supporters were also unbelievably loud. Japan and Bangladesh fans basically entered their own side competition to see who could cheer harder.

Every few seconds the entire crowd’s heads moved left to right following the shuttlecock like confused pigeons.

South Korea played confidently against Myanmar, but Myanmar still pulled through with the win. Good match overall. Very stressful to watch if you support either side.

Dodgeball: Actual Chaos

Day Three dodgeball was pure chaos.

Pakistan vs Indonesia felt less like a university game and more like unresolved anger issues with uniforms.

People were gripping the fences, screaming every five seconds and ducking whenever balls flew too close. The Pakistani team played aggressively while Indonesia kept regrouping mid game like tactical military commanders planning their next attack.

One dodgeball player admitted before the match that she was scared and expecting to lose but was still excited. Which honestly summarized the entire tournament atmosphere perfectly.

Everyone looked terrified. Everyone still showed up.

Indonesia eventually overwhelmed Pakistan with numbers and strategy. Nottingham later played extremely calculated games too, organized, very tactical, very “we definitely practiced this.”

Thankfully, despite all the intensity, nobody tried to actually fight each other after matches. Everyone shook hands and moved on. Love to see emotional maturity.

Closing Ceremony: Finally, Air Conditioning for the Soul

By the closing ceremony everyone looked exhausted but emotionally attached to each other now.

The performances absolutely carried the night.

Monash Street Dance Society turned the venue into a rave for a few minutes. The energy instantly lifted the crowd again.

Singers delivered vocals so good people actually stopped talking for once.

Then Kumari came in with raw emotion, powerful vocals, dramatic expressions, fully committed.

And then Tze Feng walked onstage with just a guitar and casually destroyed everyone.

No singing, no backup dancers and no moonwalk. Just insane guitar skills during “Billie Jean” while the crowd sang the lyrics themselves. Iconic behaviour.

Finally came the medal ceremony.

Sri Lanka dominated multiple categories, Japan secured dodgeball gold, Africa took men’s futsal and everyone suddenly became professional photographers during the award photos.

Then came the DJ party, because apparently nobody had suffered enough dehydration yet.

At the end of it all, One World wasn’t really about perfect organization or flawless scheduling. It was sweaty, chaotic, loud, delayed, overcrowded and occasionally confusing.

But it was also fun.

It was people finding their own communities in a crowd full of strangers. People screaming for countries they missed. People bonding over sports, music, and shared exhaustion.

Different flags. Different languages. Same field.

And somehow, it worked.

Photos by Simra (Cover), Kristine C., Daven F., Emily S, Asjad, Qai