KUALA LUMPUR – Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has highlighted how challenging it is to identify fresh para sports talent.
Amid recent disappointment over the funding disparity between mainstream sports and para athletes, Hannah said finding potential para athletes was a more worrying problem, and that the talent search would be stepped up.
She pointed out that the talent pool for para sports is smaller, adding: “That’s why we must now have more promotions to ensure children and youngsters who are disabled go out and give themselves a chance.
“We will train them so that they can represent Malaysia… we want to empower our para athlete ecosystem, with an additional RM2 million (under Budget 2024) for them, I hope we can further enhance the support system for them,” she said.
She was speaking to reporters at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil today after a prize-presentation ceremony by Huawei for Malaysia’s medal winners at the Para Asiad in Hangzhou.
Meanwhile, Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) president Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin said the council would begin efforts to enhance the talent search together with the Kuala Lumpur Education Department.
He said that besides athletics, five additional para sports, namely goalball, sitting volleyball, cycling, swimming and boccia have been proposed for inclusion in every special education school here.
In addition, he said that in collaboration with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (MKBOKU) and the Education Ministry, a special education sports school in Bandar Baru Enstek, Sepang would be completed by 2025.
“It (the special education sports school) is an initiative of the PCM since becoming a member of MKBOKU for the past two and a half years. Everything is going as planned and will be ready by 2025. Next year, you will see the framework that we are drawing up with the MoE,” he said.
At the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, which ended on Saturday, the Malaysian contingent surpassed their 35-medal target when they returned home with 39 medals – seven golds, 15 silvers and 17 bronzes – for 12th spot in the medal tally. – October 30, 2023