Hall of Fame

Norminshah Sabirin

Category: Official
Sport: Netball
Year Inducted: 2006

Norminshah’s foray into sports began in the late 1970’s, when she was elected as the ‘Yang DiPertua’ of the Malaysian Netball Association in 1978, a position which she served until 2002. In more than two decades of service, she has represented the country on various occasions in international meets and competitions for the sport of netball – not as a player, but as an official and administrator.

From 1983 to 1999, Norminshah headed the Malaysian netball contingent to the World Netball Championships, which were held in countries such as Singapore, Scotland, Australia, Britain and New Zealand and headed the Malaysian representation at their respective conventions. In 1985, she was made the Chairman of the Organising Committee for the First Asian Netball Championships, which was held in Kuala Lumpur.

Perhaps the biggest nod to her knowledge and passion for the sport came in November 1993, when she was elected the President of the Asian Federation of Netball Associations (AFNA), a position which she held for six years. During this time she was also the Regional Representative and Member of the Executive International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA). She was the deputy chef-de-mission for Malaysia at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, and the chef-de-mission to the 2003 SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Norminshah has also represented the Malaysian delegation in various seminars and meets that she attended over the years, including several seminars on the Role of Women in Sports. She was the head of the Malaysian representatives at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Seminar in Paris in 2000. She again represented the country in 2001 at the 7th General Assembly of Islamic Countries Women Sports Federation, at the Islamic Centre in England. In 2001 the First Asian Conference on Women and Sport was held in Osaka, Japan. Norminshah was one of Malaysia’s representatives. She also was part of the Malaysian delegation to the Asian Games Conference in conjunction with the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, Korea.

In a nutshell, it can be said that Norminshah is one of the primary drivers for the development of Netball, not just in Malaysia but also throughout the region. She is also a strong advocate for the overall development of women in sport in the country, helping to uplift the accreditation and acknowledgement received by women for their contribution in the sporting arena. She holds her own in a predominantly male field and has certainly made a name for herself in the region. Indeed, she is the face of Malaysian Netball, and also the force behind it.

Achievements:

As Official
1978 - 2002 - President Malaysian Netball Association

1985 – Chairman, Organizing Committee 1st Asian Netball Championship, Kuala Lumpur

1993 - President Asian Federation of Netball Associations

1998 - Asian Games, Bangkok [Deputy Chef-de-Mission]

2003 - XXII SEA Games, Hanoi, Vietnam [Chef-de-Mission]

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