THE season kicks off so early. Local sport fans are eyeing a smashing start to the year with badminton's Malaysia Open beginning on Jan 7 at the Axiata Arena.
There is great expectation at the Super 1000 event as Malaysian shuttlers aim to wow the home crowd.
If Olympic bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia can't recover in time from his ankle injury, Malaysia will look to former men's doubles world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, hotshots Nur Izzuddin Rumsani-Goh Sze Fei and world No. 6 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah for titles.
The shuttlers' other main tournaments this year are the Asian Mixed Team Championship in Ningbo, China (Feb 11-16), Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, China, (April 27-May 4), World Championships in Paris (Aug 25-31) and the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China (Dec 10-14).
At the other end, Malaysian football will kick off 2025 with exciting changes.
The Football Associationof Malaysia announced yesterday the appointment of former Canadian international, Robert Douglas Friend, as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the national team.
This is unprecedented — a CEO for the national football team. The year will also begin with Australian Peter Cklamovski taking charge as the new Harimau Malaya head coach.
Fans will be eager to see the work of Cklamovski and Friend when the national team compete in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in March.
The 2025-2026 M-League season will resume on Jan 10 with Johor Darul Ta'zim tipped to retain their Super League and Malaysia Cup titles. On the international front, the Southern Tigers will also be involved in the Asian Champions League Elite.
Away from land, Malaysia's national swimmers and divers, after an underwhelming year, hope to rise again at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on July 11-Aug 3.
With the hiring of Danish coach Magnus Hojby Andersen and American technical director Megan Oesting, Malaysian Aquatics hopes the national swimmers and divers will do well at the world meet.
In bowling, Malaysia will be out to maintain their stature as a world power. The national bowlers, who aim to excel at the World Championships in Hong Kong on Nov 24-Dec 6, will start their season with the Malaysian Open on April 7-13.
Sin Li Jane is expected to head for the United States to defend her Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour crown after a glittering 2024, which saw her become the first Asian to win the PWBA Player of the Year award.
In cycling, Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom will take over the reins as former keirin world champion Datuk Azizulhasni Awang takes a break from competitions.
Shah, who is also known as The Terminator, will aim to win his events in the Asian Track Championships in Nilai from Feb 21-27 and the World Championships in Chile from Oct 22-26.
While "Pocket Rocketman" Azizulhasni will not be around, Malaysia's Pocket Rocketwoman Nurul Izzah Izzati Asri will be challenging for honours.
The Asian double gold medallist will be out to consolidate her position as a continental heavyweight and make a bigger impact at world level.
Meanwhile, Malaysian weightlifters will be motivated to do well at the World Championships in Norway from Oct 1-10 following Aniq Kasdan's impressive performance at the Paris Olympics last August.
Though Aniq narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal in Paris, his result will have given him the belief to build on, and challenge for a medal at the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In eSports, the season starts to get electrifying in March with Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Malaysia Season 15.
Malaysian gamers will be targeting to win the Mid-Season Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in July, with Selangor Red Giants looking to defend their title.
For Malaysian sports in general, the year's most important homework is preparing for the Thailand Southeast Asian Games (Sea Games) from Dec 7-19.
The national contingent can't afford to fail again, not after their worst-ever finish at the biennial Sea Games, in 2023 in Phnom Penh. Malaysia lurched their way to seventh overall with only 34 gold, 45 silver and 97 bronze medals, and that is unacceptable as national sports associations (NSAs) were slammed by fans.
The NSAs had better wake up. Malaysia just can't finish below Singapore again in the Sea Games medal table.
Make this an exciting and memorable 2025. Malaysian sports need a happy new year.