KUALA LUMPUR – The Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) has not set any target for the country’s contingent to the 11th Asean Para Games (APG) in Solo (Surakarta), Indonesia, despite featuring several world-class athletes.
Its president Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin said no target was set since the decision to send about 150 athletes to compete in 11 of the 14 events at the games was made only after Malaysia agreed to participate at the last minute.
Among the big names to see action in Indonesia are four Paralympic gold medallists – three men athletes Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli (shot put) Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi (100 metres) and Abdul Latif Romly (long jump) – as well as badminton champion Cheah Liek Hou.
“This time no target has been set, this is an agreement with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), National Sports Council (NSC) and PCM. This decision was taken because two previous editions of APG in Manila and Vietnam were cancelled, so we decided last year that Malaysia would not be sending a contingent.
“It means that this sports event was not in our planning. We need to understand that to participate in a highly prestigious event, we need at least two years of preparation for athletes to peak,” he told Bernama here today.
He was asked for comment after watching the Hironobu Konda Hockey Cup action at the Tun Razak Hockey Stadium here today, where a total of eight teams consisting of primary school students from Klang Valley participated in the tournament.
The 2019 APG Manila was cancelled over financial reasons while the host of the 2021 edition in Hanoi, Vietnam cancelled the games due to the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting Indonesia to offer to host the APG this year.
Meanwhile, Megat Shahriman said Malaysia’s participation was based on the principle of “Asean solidarity” but he was optimistic about the country’s paralympic athletes who always stood out in tournaments.
“They have shown their mettle in previous tournaments where they won medals and made the country proud on the world stage. So I am confident that our athletes will excel,” he said.
The contingent will leave on July 26 for the prestigious games which will take place from July 30 to August 6 in Solo.
Earlier, it was reported that the Asean Para Sports Federation (APSF) had confirmed that about 1,285 athletes from 11 countries would contest in 14 sports at the biennial games which is making a comeback after Kuala Lumpur hosted the 2017 edition.
The 14 events in Solo are archery, athletics, badminton, boccia, chess, CP football, goalball, blind judo, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table-tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis. – Bernama, July 18, 2022
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