Mohd Ridzuan Mohd Puzi.
PETALING JAYA: The upcoming Para Malaysia Games (Para Sukma) will serve as a stepping stone for athletes to compete at international championships.
Athletes have to prove their mettle in the Para Sukma from Sep 1-6 to get their chance.
It’s not only limited to those who win a gold but for those who post their personal bests too.
“Those who achieve good results in the Para Sukma will be sent to compete in higher level tournaments to get them ready for world-level championships,” said National Sports Council (NSC) deputy director-general (strategic) Suhardi Alias.
“We hope to see some of them representing the country to compete in the Paralympics.”
A total of 1,200 athletes and 700 officials are expected to participate in the event but the exact number of athletes and events could only be confirmed after the closing date for registration on July 31.
The Games will feature 328 events from 10 sports and the age limit for the participation has been set between 14 and 45 years old.
Suhardi believes that setting a flexible age limit helps to discover more talents and produce enough para athletes to continue Malaysia’s challenge at international championships, such as the 2023 Asean Para Games in Cambodia, the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games and the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
“We have set a more flexible age limit. We want to make sure that no talents are left out, including those from rural areas,” said Suhardi.
Last Sunday, two Paralympics gold medallists Abdul Latif Romly and Mohd Ridzuan Mohd Puzi launched the 100 Days to Para Sukma event at the Paralympic Excellence Centre in Kampung Pandan.
