By: Peak Sen Chua

This past weekend, November 7-10, the Mont’Kiara International School hosted the SEASAC 7’s Football Tournament! The tournament featured eight schools of O15 Boys' and girls' teams. The participating schools were the Alice Smith School (KLASS), Australian International School of Singapore (AIS), British School of Jakarta (BSJ), Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS), International School of Yangon (ISY), Ruamrudee International School (RIS), Garden International School (GIS), and M’KIS.

Established in 1995, the South East Asia Student Activities Committee (SEASAC) is an association of international schools in and around Southeast Asia that promotes athletic excellence, cultural interaction, and the development of friendships.

The tournament started with a welcome banquet hosted at the M’KIS, where our school welcomed coaches, teachers, and athletes. Athletes enjoyed a buffet dinner while bonding with their school teams and making new friends from other schools!

The M’KIS Girls Team demonstrated sportsmanship and resilience, making a strong 6th place finish by scoring 1-0 against RIS.“ Team Captain Flo Van Der Weijden said, “We fought hard for the plate and managed to get one in the net. Shoutout to Taehee for holding it down in defense- always there to clear it out and keep us in the game. Her communication has been at the next level, and she is definitely one of our MVPs this tournament. We’ll be back and ready for the AIMS finals next week!”

Meanwhile, the M’KIS Boys Team started out strong on the first day, scoring 3-1 vs. AIS, 5-0 vs. KLASS, and 3-0 vs. ISY. The next day, the team continued their winning streak, beating GIS 3-0 and ISY 4-0. In the final, against a formidable AIS team, the boy's team initially worked hard to fend off multiple goal attempts. Amid cheers of “Let’s Go Tigers, Let’s Go!” the MKIS Tigers scored the game’s first goal. However, AIS came from behind and scored two more goals, winning the final 3-0 versus M’KIS. 

Following the final, athletes and spectators gathered in the Sports Hall for the tournament’s closing awards ceremony.  Katrina McClure, Head of Sports, presented awards for Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Sportsmanship award. Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals were awarded to the top three ranked teams, which were:

Girls

Gold: Australian International School of Singapore

Silver: Canadian International School of Hong Kong

Bronze: Kuala Lumpur Alice Smith School

Boys

Gold: Australian International School of Singapore

Silver: Mont'Kiara International School

Bronze: British School of Jakarta

Congrats to our MKIS players awarded MVP - Flo Van Der Weijden and Sofus Theilgaard Roslind!

Middle School and High School Principal Kevin Ritchlin closed out the tournament. Kevin spoke about the value of competition and sportsmanship in challenging athletes to push to greater heights. He also thanked all the athletes, coaches, parents, teachers, and staff for organizing the conference. In particular, he congratulated Athletics Director Katrina McClure for her work in organizing the tournament just 4 months after arriving at M’KIS!

Congratulations, M’KIS, for hosting an excellent SEASAC 7’s Football Tournament!