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Friday, December 23, 2005
Disabled Ilonggo athletes win gold, silver
By Lory Ann B. Bilbao
FOUR disabled Ilonggo athletes have brought pride to Iloilo City once more when they bagged gold and silver medals during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Paraplegic Games (Asean Para Games) in Manila from December 12 to 21.
So, are persons with disabilities really disabled? No, according to the triumphs of Ryan Mosquera and Tanya Denamarca from Sped School, Anne Grace Abeto from the University of San Agustin, and May Rose Devares.
Mosquera won one gold and two silvers in track and field; Abeto won two silvers and a bronze in track and field; Devaras brought home silver and a bronze in swimming; and Denamarca won silver in swimming.
Denamarca and Devaras were all first-timers while Mosquera was into track and field since 1997 as they revealed to the Iloilo City Hall Press Corps (ICHPC) yesterday. In fact, the latter has won in previous Para Games.
All were called the Asean Paraplegic Medalists.
The Asean Para Games is a biennial multi-sports championship of the Asean Para Sports Federation (ASPF).
It follows the Southeast Asian Games and is hosted by the same country where the SEA Games took place.
Its objectives are to promote friendship and solidarity among persons with disabilities in the Asian region through sports; to promote and develop sports for the differently abled; and to rehabilitate and integrate persons with disability into mainstream society through sports.
Some 1,000 athletes and 300 officials participated in 12 sporting disciplines during the 3rd Asean Para Games. The participants came from the 10 Southeast Asian countries and Timor Leste.
The first Asean Para Games held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 25 to 30, 2001 was the initial major sports event of the Asean Para Sports Federation (APSF).
The APSF was conceived in the special meeting of National Paralympic Committees of the Asean Countries during the 10TH Malaysian Paralympiad and Asean Cities Invitationals. The Asean Para Games, the 'parallel' sports event for the disabled after every Southeast Asian Games, was patterned after the Paralympics and the Fespic Games.
The 2nd Asean Para Games was held in Hanoi Vietnam from Dec. 19 to 27, 2003. Timor Leste was also formally included in the games, increasing the member countries to eleven.
The hosting of the Para Games in Manila was the first time and considered the biggest sporting event for the disabled sector here.
Most of the events were held at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Manila.
Along with the 2005 Sea Games, the 3rd Asean Para Games has been declared a tobacco-free event in line with Philippine Government's commitment to the international treaty Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
A Memorandum of Agreement among Philippine Sports Commission, Department of Health, Philippine Asean Para Games Organizing Committee (Papgoc) the Fcap and other non-government organizations was signed on June 10, 2004 officially declaring the 3rd Asean Para Games a tobacco-free event.
Among the participating countries were Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Brunei Darrusalam, Timor Leste, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines.
The Para Sports Federation Executive Committee were Zainal Abu Zarin, president, major Thein Wein, vice president (sports science), Emmanuel L. Penson, vice president (marketing and communications), Radha Khrisnan, vice president development and communications and chairman, games liason committee and Vu The Piet, vice president (sports committee).
Board of Governors were Michael I. Barredo, chairman, Lt. Gen. Nguyen The Bon, vice chairman and Zainal Abu Zarin, secretary.
Among the sports undertaken were basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis, chess, swimming, power lifting, judo, athletics, tenpin, soccer and goal ball.
(December 23, 2005 issue)
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