22 athletes to carry Malaysia's challenge at Tokyo Paralympic Games

KUALA LUMPUR: Twenty-two athletes will carry Malaysia's challenge in nine sports at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, slated to be held from Aug 24-Sept 5.

Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) president, Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin said 18 of them are male athletes while five out of the total are wheelchair athletes.

"These athletes shall be accompanied by 15 coaches of the respective sports and a chaperone for our swimmer, Brenda Anellia Larry, who will be accompanied by her mother, as she is under the age of 18 and unable to move by herself," he said in a statement today.

Megat D Shahriman, who is also the Malaysian contingent's Chef de Mission for the Games, said a total of 54 members including athletes, secretariat team members, medical officers and administrative personnel will be involved in the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Meanwhile, with 15 days to go before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games on Aug 24 , all parties involved, including PCM, the National Sports Council, National Sports Institute and the respective sports associations are monitoring closely the contingent's compliance to COVID-19 control protocols and following up on experiences of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that concluded yesterday.

"I also take this opportunity to thank all our generous sponsors who have stepped forward with a big heart to complement the government's efforts to provide support for the athletes to compete in Tokyo," Megat D Shahriman said.

In the meantime, he said with the increased exposure of para sports success, the private sector has come forward to contribute materials for the contingent such as Bata Primavera, Julie's Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Nestle Products Sdn Bhd and Maystar Beauty Sdn Bhd, among others.

For the record, Malaysia has been taking part in the Paralympic Games since 1972 and has won 11 medals - three gold, two silver and six bronze.

Apart from Brenda, the athletes who have qualified for the Tokyo Paralympic Games are S. Suresh and Wiro Julin (archery); Abdul Latif Romly, Muhammad Ziyad Zokefli, Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi, Wong Kar Gee and Siti Noor Iasah Mohamad Ariffin (athletics); Cheah Liek Hou and Didin Terasoh (badminton) and Chew Wei Lun (boccia).

Mohamad Yusof Hafizi Shaharuddin, Muhammad Hafiz Jamali, Zuhairie Ahmad Tarmizi, Nur Azlia Syafinaz Mohd Zais and Nurul Suhada Zainal (cycling); Bonnie Bunyau Gustin and Jong Yee Khie (powerlifting); Muhammad Nur Syaiful Zulkefli and Jamery Siga (swimming); Chee Chaoming (table tennis); and Abu Samah Borhan (wheelchair tennis) have also made the cut for the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

-- BERNAMA