MPC plan to host regional games
Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPC) aim to organise a regional-level mini-games in March next year to fill the void caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
MPC president Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin said the competition, geared towards team sports, will be held in Kuching at a cost of between RM3 million and RM4 million.
“With the cancellation of the Manila Asean Para Games (APG) this year, there are almost no competitions left for the athletes to compete in,” said Megat after chairing MPC’s executive board meeting at the Paralympic Centre of Excellence in Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur yes- terday.
“We need competitions to help us prepare for next year’s Hanoi APG and Tokyo Paralympics, and this is why we have decided to organise this event.
“The mini games will focus more on team sports because the Johor Malaysian Para Games will be featuring individual sports. We may include seven sports in the competition.
“To make it more competitive, we will invite other countries from this region for the event.
“By organising this competition, we are also doing these countries a favour as it also offers their athletes a platform to compete on.”
The Malaysia Para Games, which was initially scheduled for this year, has been postponed to April 5-10.
Megat added that Sarawak’s enthusiasm was one of the main reasons it was selected to host the mini games. “Sarawak has made it clear that it is keen to host the games and is prepared to give strong support,” he added.
The major events for para-athletes next year are the Vietnam APG in October and Tokyo Paralympics on Aug 24-Sept 5.