One World 2026: Redefining Tradition through Sport by Ramya  

One World 2026 proves that tradition can evolve while still preserving the spirit that made them meaningful in the first place. Last year, One World looked a lot different, with food and game stalls representing each country. This year, MUISS has upped their game and brought together the athletes of the international community from Monash Malaysia as well as students from University of Nottingham Malaysia, for a week of competition, connection and celebration. 

The opening ceremony of One World set the perfect beginning for this week-long competition. The MC’s brought the crowd to life, and enthusiasm ascended in the air as students representing their countries started their parade. With their country flags on hand, wearing clothes representing them, and grins as bright as the sunset, each country walked down the Monash field with music that comes straight from their hearts and childhoods. The crowd was filled with students supporting their own country, but also showering applause for the others, harmonious with the true meaning to this event, cultural unity. Then came the dance performances, from Korea and Sri Lanka, bringing together skill and culture. The classic games of musical chairs and tug of war, gave everyone a sense of nostalgia but also a taste of the competition waiting for them for the week. 

It’s beautiful how we all may have started our journeys in different parts of the world, yet somehow fate aligned our paths and brought us together in Monash Malaysia. 

As thunder rumbled outside, the badminton matches began with equal intensity in the Monash badminton court, where the energy of the participants and cheers of the audiences created an electrifying atmosphere. Sri Lanka was crowned the winners of the mixed doubles and women’s singles, whereas Bangladesh bagged the crown for men’s singles. 

The players of the dodgeball matches showed an intense level of teamwork and instinct. With insane strategies to win, the audience definitely felt every bit of intensity shown on the court. Japan rose to the top, crowned as the dodgeball champions. 

The morning basketball matches were 3v3, making the game even more fierce and competitive. The audience was so enthusiastic and loud, it gave the players all the motivation to win. Sri Lanka dominated basketball, winning gold for both women’s and men’s. 

The passion of the football fandom came alive on the futsal court where the players brought their unmatched energy and intensity to every match. Their seamless teamwork and deftness, reflecting the dedication and practice, kept the crowd engaged throughout. University of Nottingham reigned champions for the women whereas Africa bagged the gold for men. 

A myriad of emotions swept through the students throughout the competition, from the excitement and anticipation to play, to the pride in representing one’s country. Alongside these, came the nerves, the anxiety of losing, the frustration for missed shots, but alas, the support received from their community elevated the players’ confidence. The display of hard work turned to skill, the courage and boldness portrayed by the students left the crowd in awe. 

Finally, the closing ceremony kicked off with an electrifying dance performance from the Monash Street Dance Society, the perfect start to lift the energy of the crowd. This was followed by the Monash Dance Fusion Society, who showcased an array of cultural dances, from latin to ballet to arabic dance forms. The entertainment continued with powerful voices blending together in a beautiful symphony, a dynamic hiphop duo and an impressive guitar solo performance, keeping the vibes high throughout the evening. The spotlight was then turned to the athletes, with medals and rewards distributed for their achievements, as cheers from the audience supported them. To close the night, a DJ set brought everyone together on their feet, jumping and singing along with friends, marking the perfect finale to an unforgettable event. 

At uncertain times like this, when anxiety for the future weighs heavily on many, events like One World are a powerful reminder that despite the borders dividing our nations, we are all united by our shared community.

One World 2026: Sweat, Screaming, and National Pride by Azreen

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