How Malaysia is stacking up to become the world champion

Free Malaysia Today

In this under-recognised sport played by over 700,000 people globally,  Malaysia leads the world with several records and a No. 1 ranking.   Written & presented by: Theevya Ragu  Shot by: Moganraj Villavan & Bani Jamian  Edited by: Kiera Amin   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2025/04/24/team-msia-world-stacking-champs-gear-up-to-defend-their-crown   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTLifestyle #SportStacking #WorldChampion

Transcript

00:00This is no party trick.

00:04It's called sport stacking.

00:08A competitive and addictive sport played in over 50 countries.

00:16What started as a trend in California in the 1980s

00:20has exploded worldwide, becoming a school-based sport.

00:24And the big surprise? Malaysia holds

00:28the number one ranking and several world records.

00:32FMT Lifestyle witnessed our Malaysian stackers in action

00:36during their training in KL Gateway Mall.

00:40So, how does it work? This sport is all about lightning-fast hands

00:44and laser-sharp focus. The goal is simple.

00:48Stack up and stack down as quickly as you can.

00:52Competitions feature various events with different cup formations,

00:56such as the 3-3-3 and 3-6-3 stacks,

01:00with the cycle event adding a more complex 1-10-1 formation.

01:06Chan Kang Ian of Malaysia, currently studying in the UK,

01:10holds the number one global ranking in sport stacking.

01:14He's a five-time world champion and a two-time Guinness World Record holder.

01:22Together with Wu Sin Yi, Chan also set the double cycle world record at 5.603 seconds in 2024.

01:32Malaysia currently boasts seven national stackers ranked in the global top 20.

01:36But it wasn't always this way.

01:40We had a very, very bad result in 2016 in the Korea Asian Championships.

01:48I think some of our stackers here also know.

01:52The feeling is not really good because we sent a lot of participants to Korea

01:56and then we almost all fell, you know, almost.

02:02But in the years that followed, they've turned the tables completely

02:06and have sustained their winning streak till today.

02:10After the 2016, we just set the target.

02:14We, Malaysian, stacker, Malaysian participants,

02:16want to build up year by year until after, I think it's after three years, 2019,

02:24we are going to the Asian Championship in China.

02:26So the time we get the overall champion.

02:30And then we continue this result until now.

02:35Lim was introduced to the sport in the U.S. and brought it to Malaysia in 2007.

02:41After winning a tournament in Singapore the following year,

02:44he saw its potential and began introducing it to Malaysian schools as a co-curricular activity.

02:50Today, the sport is enjoyed by kids of all ages, including those with special needs.

02:56Lo, currently ranked 20th in the world, shares how his journey with stacking began back in Standard 4.

03:04Basically, I saw one of my classmates, he was stacking,

03:07and I just got really curious about this cup thing.

03:10And I just went and asked, how do you get the cups?

03:13And he just introduced me, like, there's this cup stacking classes going on in our school.

03:18I didn't know that.

03:19So I just joined immediately, and I got a set of cups, and I just started practicing at home.

03:25I would say the starting journey was quite challenging,

03:29because my parents are kind of like object, opposing about this thing,

03:33because it's quite noisy.

03:34So if you were to play at home or you practice at home,

03:36it's going to be quite irritating if you stack for a long period of time.

03:41When his results spoke for themselves, Lo never looked back.

03:46I really want people to just get united with a sport,

03:49and maybe perhaps cup stacking is one of it.

03:52Just two weeks before the 2025 World Sport Stacking Championship in Switzerland,

03:57a national competition held at ITT brought together over 300 stackers from across Malaysia,

04:04from Penang to as far as Sabah.

04:09With the international championship set for April 27th,

04:13Malaysia is gearing up to defend its title as reigning champion,

04:17and record holder Wu has her sights set high.

04:21For this year's worth, I am aiming for the first overall,

04:27which is like the whole number one for this championship, yeah.

04:33So watch closely.

04:35The clock's ticking, the cups are ready, and Malaysia's stacking for glory.

04:40Tibia Ragu, FMT.

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