KUCHING: Accurate classification of disability type must be done for Sarawak’s athletes with disabilities (OKU athletes) to prevent their disqualification from competing due to improper classification.
Emphasising the importance of classification, Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said there had been past experiences where Sarawak’s OKU athletes had gone to compete in the Malaysia Para Games (Para SUKMA) but upon arriving discovered that they could not participate.
“This is because when they did the classification again, it was found that they were not properly classified for the event,” she said during her session with Para SUKMA 2022 athletes at Imperial Hotel here today.
“That is why we must have our own classifiers who must be given training. We are very fortunate in Sarawak because we have doctors who have volunteered to help us in terms of classification.
“We do not want our athletes to be incorrectly classified, train diligently, and then arrive at the championship location only to find out that they cannot participate because they are incorrectly classified. It is very important that we classify them correctly right from the beginning here in Sarawak,” she said.
She explained that classification was done in stages, first by the medical team then by the technical team according to the categories set by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
Apart from classification, Fatimah said talent identification was one of the initiatives to ensure that Sarawak achieves its objective of being an OKU sports powerhouse.
“We went to every division and that is how we discovered talents outside Kuching. Through this talent identification strategy, we will have a bigger pool of talents,” she said.
She said this also involved bringing identified talents out of their rural communities so that they could be properly trained by professional coaches and gain access to proper sporting facilities in the urban areas such as Kuching.
She said continuous training was another initiative, expressing gladness that OKU athletes could now resume training in a face-to-face manner with their coaches following the easing of restrictions imposed earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She also emphasised the vital role played by coaches and assistant coaches in developing OKU athletes to their fullest potential.
“Another strategy is exposure of athletes at the local, national, and international levels. We really encourage participation of our athletes in any competition, as it provides opportunities to our athletes to ensure that their skills and level of fitness is always at the maximum level,” she said.
Fatimah said other aspects which were given attention with regard to OKU sports development were training allowance for OKU athletes, incentives for winners, and courses for coaches and assistant coaches.
