KUCHING: Two Special Olympics or now, known as the Para Olympics, would be held in July and August this year and the Sarawak athletes have been urged to uphold the legacy of winning 13 championships for the past 26 years in both the special Para Olympics and in the Para SUKMA Games.
Speaking at the Sarawak PWD Sports Powerhouse of Malaysia’s Raya Gawai Gathering at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching on Wednesday night, the Minister of Women and Children Development and Community Well-Being, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah added that the two Para Olympics namely the state level would be held in Sibu on July 1-3 while the national level would be held in Selangor and Malacca in July and August respectively.
“For being able to achieve 13 championships during the past 26 years in these events is indeed very impressive legacy and I hope that during the Sarawak athletes will continue to aim for this excellence,” she said.
“The state government is very concerned towards the well being of the OKU community and has given its utmost support and allowance and training to the athletes,” Fatimah said, adding that the allowance was allocated accordingly to the achievement and attainment of the athletes.
She also disclosed that 19 athletes have been identified as having the potential of winning the gold medals in the 2022 Para Sukma games and 73 athletes have been tipped to take over from the senior athletes who would be retiring from the games.
“We also have 53 coaches and trainers for the OKU athletes. It is very important that we are able to coach and train them and these coaches and trainers are very important part of the team.
“We need to also give exposure to our athletes to all the the competitions within Malaysia and outside the country.
“We are pleased to note that Sarawak has a continuity programme to ensure that the state becomes a sports powerhouse,” Fatimah said.
