The collective experience of rooting for the same sporting team is not to be underestimated.
The death of national hockey player Chua Boon Huat came as a huge shock to many people. He was a vital cog in the team that was aiming to qualify for next year's World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics.
I watched Chua play many times during his career and I remember him as someone who always ran and ran, never giving up on harassing opposing players. As such, I shed tears when I read the obituaries and all the tributes paid to this amazing athlete who represented our country 337 times.
Amidst the sense of loss I was somehow also touched that people from all backgrounds paid tribute to a wonderful player. It didn’t matter about their race or religion – they recognized that Chua was a splendid hockey player who gave his all in every game.
In this difficult time for Malaysia, I believe that sport can still be a unifier of the people. When our athletes are out there in the black and yellow stripes, people cheer for them.
Their colour, religion and background do not matter at all. Our national sports teams and athletes transcend political barriers. Everyone young and old cheers them on in unison in pursuit of victory. (They also jeer them collectively when the teams are losing, but that is a story for another day)
There is nothing else like sports that can really unite the people. In the Malaysian context, I think there’s nothing bigger than football or badminton.
The nation was behind the Harimau Malaya in 2010 and 2012 when they came up victors against bitter rivals Indonesia in the AFF Suzuki Cup and the Sea Games. Everywhere you went, there was nothing but talk of cheering on our football heroes.
I remember the crunch FIFA World Cup qualifying second leg match between Malaysia and Singapore two years ago. All the tickets were sold out and even though we lost on aggregate, Malaysia was united.
It was the same when shuttler Lee Chong Wei came close to ending Malaysia’s barren gold run in the Olympics last year. People wept in unison when he lost to China’s Lin Dan.
The best part was even those who didn’t know anything much about sport cheered on these athletes. I had friends who sacrificed their soap operas to watch Lee carry Malaysia’s hopes live on television.
It was really one Malaysia taking place and there was a sort of escapism from the daily troubles in our lives. One can only hope that Chong Wei pulls through in tonight's world championship finals against his old nemesis.
Watching sports brings people together in a way nothing else can. You cheer and scream when your team scores a goal and shout in disgust when they concede one. You can hug a stranger when your team are victors.
When Spain won the World Cup in 2010, even the proud Catalunyans declared themselves to be Spanish.
Nelson Mandela used rugby during the 1995 World Cup to unify a racially divided South Africa. At the time, Mandela had just been elected President of South Africa as the apartheid regime had just been dismantled.
There was still tension and this was reflected in the rugby team, which was all white with the exception of one black player. Mandela went all out to make sure that all South Africans backed the team.
As fate would have it, South Africa won the championships with a hard fought win against favourites New Zealand in the final. It is said that the blacks and the whites celebrated for the first time ever together on the streets.
We Malaysians might not be so divided, but we certainly need something to unite us. And a victorious sports team can surely do it. It would be a fitting tribute to the sacrifices Chua Boon Huat made for Malaysian sport.
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