Paralympic Council Of Malaysia Looks Forward To More Athletes Qualifying For Tokyo 2020

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 (Bernama) -- The Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) expects at least another 10 athletes to join the 16 national athletes who have confirmed their spot in the Tokyo Paralympic Games scheduled for Aug 24 to Sept 5. This was discussed at Sunday’s PCM Supreme Council Meeting and Annual General Meeting conducted online, attended by key committee members of the 25-member PCM as well as ex-officio members from various government agencies. “The final selection of the contingent who shall represent the country is still open and be decided in the middle of July,” PCM said in a statement. PCM said all plans were in order for it together with the National Sports Council (NSC) to take the necessary actions for athletes to compete in the games. The national para athletes are also expected to take part in the Asian Youth Para Games in Bahrain and ASEAN Para Games in Hanoi, both in December, before shifting gears towards the Asian Para Games, Commonwealth Games and Para Sukma, all in 2022. On the development activities, the statement said PCM together with NSC will engage all national sports associations (NSAs) to map out the development plans for each of the 25 para-sports for the next five years, taking into consideration the new norms due to the COVID-19 challenges. The plans for these 25 sports will be presented to the Sports and Youth Ministry for its consideration and budget approval. Meanwhile, PCM said following world-class successes achieved by some of the para-sports such as Para Powerlifting, Para Athletics, Para Badminton and Para Archery, the NSAs have expressed their expectation of the government taking note and providing a holistic support system for sustainable development of para-sports in the country. The meeting, chaired by PCM president, Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin, was also attended by National Para Shooting Association president, Senator Ras Adiba Radzi, the latest to join PCM. -- BERNAMA