Trust in youth pays off as Malaysia plan for home Asean Para Games in 2027

Swimmer Abdul Halim Mohd

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s bold gamble in putting the trust in the younger generation at the just concluded Asean Para Games in Thailand has paid dividends with the national contingent finishing third overall.

The para athletes returned from Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday with a haul of 64 gold, 64 silver and 73 bronze medals, surpassing the target of 55 gold medals set prior to the Games.

Malaysia finished behind Indonesia (135-143-114) and hosts Thailand, who emerged overall champions on 175-155-156.

The country had finished fourth in the previous Games in Cambodia (50-38-34).

National Sports Council director-general Jefri Ngadirin said the strategy based on long-term development was the basis for the significant improvement in Malaysia’s performance compared to previous editions. It is also in line with the long term planning towards the next Asean Para Games in Malaysia in 2027.

Fourty two per cent of all Malaysian athletes in Thailand were under 25 years old, followed by 45 per cent of athletes under 39 years old while the rest consisted of senior athletes over 40 years old.

Out of 231 para athletes, 81 were first timers.

Swimmers Abdul Halim Mohd and Carmen Lim were named the Best Male and Female Athletes for the Malaysian contingent.

Abdul bagged five golds, one silver and one bronze.

Carmen, who is training to be a lawyer, also managed to win medals in all the events she took part in.

She bagged two golds, four silvers and one bronze.

Jefri said: “From the very beginning, I and the president of the Malaysian Paralympic Council Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman agreed to provide early exposure to young athletes so that they are truly prepared when we host the Asean Para Games in 2027.

“Athletics emerged as the biggest contributor with 20 gold, 22 silver and 23 bronze medals, followed by swimming with 13 gold, 20 silver and 22 bronze medals.

“Cycling hauled in nine gold medals, followed by bowling with six golds and powerlifting with five golds.

“Fifteen championship records were also set by our para athletes, indicating that they are able to bring out their best on the big stage.

“No doubt some sports did not meet their targets, especially in team sports, and we need to overcome the shortcomings in the technical expertise and ensure adequate exposure for the athletes,” he said.

Jefri stressed that Malaysia cannot afford to be complacent and must continue to strengthen their para sports programmes.

“We have to maintain this momentum and continue to plan carefully to ensure that our athletes are at optimum performance levels when we host the Games.

“We also have to be wary of other nations who are improving quickly, this includes the Philippines.

“We were initially concerned about Vietnam (in the fight for third place) but instead it was the Philippines who ended up beating Vietnam.

“Indonesia have always been strong and have always sent large contingents, so we were not surprised by their performance.”