Delayed Para Games has coach Jega worried

PETALING JAYA: The postponement of the Asean Para Games (APG) 2020 from next month to late March has para athletics chief coach R. Jeganathan concerned.

The 10th edition of the APG was slated for Jan 18-24 but has been postponed to March 20-28 due to budget and funding issues.

The Asean Para Sports Federation (APSF) announced the postponement, saying the Philippines Asean Para Games

Organising Committee (Philapgoc) had run into problems.

Jeganathan said he was informed that Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPC) president Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin, who is also the Malaysian contingent chef-de-mission (CDM) will be meeting APSF for an amicable solution.

“We are facing a problem with the current scenario but we can’t do much because it’s a government funding issue. I was told that APSF will have their meeting so I just hope we can get good news from it,” said Jeganathan.

“The athletes have been training well and we are now in a competitive phase. If the APG’s postponed dates remain as March, we need to get ready again in two months and it’s not ideal.”

National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail has proposed to the national sports associations to hold a simulation competition in January so the athletes’ preparations would not be affected.

Jeganathan said a simulation competition would be ideal to keep the athletes on their toes.

“We now need to communicate to the athletes about the dates and then modify our training. We need to get the athletes to slow down a bit and get back to competitive phase back,” he said.