Young Hippos prove their strength in foam dodgeball

The Star

17-07-2025

Exciting scenes at MAD Youth Championship in the U12 Girls' and U12 Boys' (below) categories in Kuala Lumpur. — Photos: Low Lay Phon/The star
Kuantan school's U12 Boys' and Girls' teams dominate youth meet, association introduces digital version of game
Team Hippos showcased grit and precision after dominating the Under-12 Boys' and Girls' Foam category of Malaysia Association of Dodgeball (MAD) Youth Championship.
The young talents from SK Permatang Badak in Kuantan, Pahang, secured a commanding lead in both finals, triumphing over Team Ghost.
The U12 Boys' final saw a thrilling 3-2 victory for Team Hippos, while the U12 Girls' team secured the title with a convincing 3-1 win.
Coach Mohamad Shahdan Abdul Ghafar expressed pride in his charges' performance.
'I am delighted that both teams lifted the trophies as some are handball players who only trained for a month.
'Given the similarities in basic principles between dodgeball and handball, they picked up the sport quickly.
'Our primary goal in joining this competition was to expose them to tournament play,' he said, adding that the team's distinctive name, 'Hippos', was inspired by their school.
Team Ghost were first runners-up, with Team Kambes Dodgers in the Boys' and Team Rainos in the Girls' category as second runners-up.
The tournament at a mall in Kuala Lumpur saw four categories for foam dodgeball – U12 and U15, Boys' and Girls' – and participation from over 400 players from Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Pahang.
Mohamad Shahdan (back row, fourth from left) and other teachers with the winning Team Hippos U12 Girls' and Boys'.
Team Hippos also participated in both the U15 Boys' and Girls' categories but were eliminated in the group stage in the former, and placed second runners-up in the latter.
The top three in the U15 Boys' category were Team Zelts, Team MYDS and Team Invictus, while in the U15 Girls' category, Team Invictus were champions and Team MYDC, first runners-up.
Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur Youth and Sports Department director Sabran Abd Bahar lauded the significant growth of dodgeball under the guidance of MAD.
'Dodgeball is recognised by Malaysia Sports Commission and despite being a relatively new sport at around 15 years old, its progress has been remarkable.
'The department consistently supports the sport and its ongoing development.
'It is truly encouraging to witness such widespread participation from schools in this tournament. We hope for the continued advancement and success of dodgeball in Malay­sia,' he said.
A highlight of the meet is digital dodgeball, depicted on screen as play ensues, and explained by Hado Malaysia representatives (below). It is part of MAD's roadmap to draw youths into the game.
A highlight of the championship was the introduction of Digital Dodgeball, innovatively spearheaded by licensee Hado Malaysia which is also associated with MAD.
This futuristic version of the sport sees three-player teams competing on a 6m x 10m field for 80 seconds per game.
Armed with hand sensors and virtual displays, players score points by depleting opponents' four lives with charged virtual balls while applying shields to block incoming balls.
MAD vice-president Otto Wong explained the strategic depth of Digital Dodgeball.
'The key strategy lies in players' flexibility to adjust virtual ball speed, ball size, charging speed and shield count,' he said.
'There's no single winning formula – players must communicate effectively and adapt their play style accordingly.
'This form of dodgeball is popular in Japan, South Korea, the US and United Kingdom.'
Wong added that introducing Digital Dodgeball to a wider audience was a key part of MAD's roadmap.
'One of our primary objectives is to engage with youth and college students who are already familiar with e-sports.
'Digital Dodgeball shares certain game play elements with e-sports and we believe this will strongly appeal to the younger generation,' he said.