The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between anthropometric and motor performance and to determine the contribution of combined anthropometric dimensions on motor performance. A total of 225 male (n = 138) and female (n = 87) Malaysian university athletes aged
between 18 and 28 years (M = 22.1, SD = 1.8) from 18 different team related sports and individual sports participated in this study. The subjects underwent anthropometric measurements (height, weight, BMI,% body fat, waist-hip ratio) and motor performance tests (grip strength - GS, back
strength - BS, 7 level sit-up - SU7, 10m sprint - S10, 30m sprint - S30, sit and reach - SR, trunk extension test - TE, SEMO agility test - SEMO, vertical jump - VJ, standing long jump - SLJ, reaction time (audio) - RTa, reaction time (visual) - RTv, bleep test - Bleep, leg strength - LS, stork test– ST, and push-ups - PU). Descriptive analysis showed that anthropometric and performance difference between sports reflected the needs and requirements of the sports. Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and multiple regression analysis showed that height, weight, BMI, % body fat, waist-hip ratio contributed positively or negatively on specific components of motor performance. Among male athletes, all anthropometric were found to be a significant contributor to strength, vertical jump, cardiovascular endurance, while among females, only % body fat and WHR contributed significantly to abdominal strength, vertical jump and trunk extension. Findings of the study suggested that anthropometric characteristics that contributed to motor performance should provide a scientific rationale in selecting and training of athletes.