KUCHING: Malaysian squash legend Datuk Nicol David described it as an “absolute honour” after meeting former NBA superstar Yao Ming during her recent visit to Beijing, China — where both sporting icons shared their vision of transforming lives through sports and education.
Beyond their achievements as athletes, the meeting centred heavily around the foundations established by both former champions to empower children and communities through sport.
In a recent social media post, Nicol praised the scale of work carried out by the Yao Foundation, an organisation founded by the former Houston Rockets centre to expand sporting access and physical education opportunities for children in rural China.
“What is more admirable is that he also has his own foundation, the Yao Foundation, that empowers children through sports in rural China,” she wrote.
According to Nicol, the foundation has built 28 schools, introduced physical education programmes and impacted approximately 6.7 million children across China.
The former world No.1 said the conversation also allowed both sporting icons to exchange ideas surrounding youth development and the long-term social value of sports participation.
Nicol meanwhile shared the progress of her own initiative, the Nicol David Organisation (NDO), which was established to help Malaysian children through sports, education and emotional development programmes.
“We shared about my own foundation Nicol David Organisation and how we are also hoping to change my country Malaysia through sports and education and share the love for understanding that more children need to be active to be healthier, happier and have a positive future,” she said.
While still relatively young compared to the Yao Foundation, Nicol expressed optimism over the organisation’s growth and future reach.
“My foundation is only four years old but this year we will impact 5,000 children – one day I hope to say we have impacted millions,” she added.
Widely regarded as Malaysia’s greatest squash player, Nicol dominated the sport for over a decade, winning a record eight World Championship titles and holding the world No.1 ranking for 108 consecutive months between 2006 and 2015 before she officially retired in 2019.
