Apg 2023: Malaysian Athletes On Track For 33-gold Target - Cdm
From Farah Najihah Zuraimi
PHNOM PENH, June 2 (Bernama) -- The national contingent is on track to achieve the 33 gold medals targeted at the 12th ASEAN Para Games (APG), which opens here tomorrow (June 3-9).
Chef de mission (CDM) of the Malaysian contingent to the APG 2023, Noor Syahieda Mat Shah, expressed her confidence after the 144 athletes, bound for the Southeast Asian stage, showed great enthusiasm during the final phase of training for the Games, which will end on June 9.
In addition to 33 gold, Malaysia’s medal hunt includes 51 silver and 58 bronze medals, in 13 of the 14 sports contested in Cambodia.
“Everything is on track because right now the spirit of our athletes is at its peak, despite the challenges of the hot weather. However, we can overcome the challenges as they are also enjoying the atmosphere here.
“The target set for the athletes is realistic, otherwise, we will simply be sight-seeing with no mission. After all, the (medal) target is set according to the data of achievement among the athletes,” she said.
Noor Syahieda said this after a flag-raising ceremony, formally welcoming 11 participating countries here today.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPM) president, Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin, said that the main focus of the national contingent in this 12th edition is to ensure that the target set can be achieved in style.
“I had a meeting yesterday, where all participating countries agreed to compete in the true spirit of sportsmanship, with full commitment and (the Malaysian contingent’s) mission is to achieve the target set,” he said.
In the last edition in Solo, Indonesia, the Malaysian contingent brought home 36 gold, 20 silver and 14 bronze to finish the campaign in fourth position.
Malaysia emerged as the overall champion of the APG when it hosted the inaugural edition in Kuala Lumpur in 2001, which saw the contingent bagging a tally of 143 gold, 136 silver and 92 bronze medals.
-- BERNAMA
