The ASEAN Para Games is not just a sports competition but a celebration of the human will and spirit.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said because of the powerful impact among the para athletes he hoped that the 9th Para Games would be another glorious chapter in celebrating the human spirit across Southeast Asia.

Khairy said the athletes who were being honoured and celebrated tonight were extraordinary with stories of unimaginable challenges and sacrifices.

"The grit and determination of staring at failure in the eyes and defeating it. The tenacity of pushing yourself beyond limits you never knew existed. The freedom that comes from liberating yourself from physical restrictions and soaring to heights once unimaginable.

"They show us nothing is impossible. They do not just inspire others who are disabled but all of us. They remind us that even if we had no control of past circumstances, we can chart our own future," he said in his speech at the opening ceremony held at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Khairy also recalled the outstanding achievement of para-athletes Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi in the men's 100m T36 (cerebral palsy), Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli in the men's shot putt F20 (learning problem) and Abdul Latif Romly via the men's long jump T20 (learning problem) who won three gold medals at the Rio Paralympic Games 2016.

He said that the tale of the three athletes had become the country's modern legend when they overcame all obstacles to become world champions.

"Tonight we celebrate the para athletes who had not only made a name for themselves but also those who had only begun to achieve success," he added.

-- BERNAMA