Melaka JBS in search of potential disabled athletes to represent state, country

03/12/2022 07:08 PM

MELAKA, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- The Melaka Youth and Sports Department (JBS)  are actively looking out for potential athletes from among people with disabilities (PWD) to be trained and eventually become athletes to represent the state and country in future paralympic games.

Its director, Khairul Adri Rosli said the search for new talents covers various sports fields and training, workshops,  exposure or disabled sports development clinics which will be carried out with the cooperation of the National Sports Council, Melaka Disabled Sports and Recreation Association and other associations involved in PWD.

He said such efforts would serve as a platform for the disabled to discover and hone their talent in the field of sports and not make self-deficiency an obstacle for them to succeed in life.

“At the 2022 Malaysia Para Games, our athletes collected nine gold medals out of the 40 medals that the Melaka contingent had won. Therefore, the search for new talent is important in our effort to ensure that our reserves among the disabled have the potential in certain fields.

“They will undergo certain tests at selected hospitals to assess and identify their fitness levels and abilities before training is given to hone their talents," he told reporters here today.  

Khairul said this after attending the opening of the state-level Karnival Sukan Inspire OKU Aktif officiated by the Youth Development, Sports and Non-Governmental Organisations Exco VP Shanmugam.

He said the disabled who are involved in the new talent programme will be given free training and they will not be imposed fees for them to identify their fitness level or ability in the sports field that they are interested in.

“We will also provide coaches and facilities for the disabled who are interested and have the potential in any sports. We look forward to the cooperation of parents and the associations to help bring the group in for further assessment," he said.

Earlier, he said the three-day State-level Karnival Sukan Inspire OKU Aktif was held in conjunction with the World OKU Day and was divided into three segments, namely sports, active lifestyle and interactive.

He said the carnival was organised to produce active and healthy disabled people, especially in the sports that they may be interested in.

-- BERNAMA