The ASEAN Para Sports Federation (APSF) has called on the region’s sports broadcasters and the media to further assist in the promotion, development and enhancement of Para sports in the Southeast Asian region. With the Paris Paralympic Games 2024 drawing closer with less than 80 days away, APSF is hoping that ASEAN’s media and broadcasters play a more active role in highlighting and engaging with the region’s athletes as they prepare for their ultimate challenge in Paris 2024, scheduled from 29 August to 8 September. “APSF and our member associations (National Paralympic Committees) will continue to push for the mainstreaming of para sports and help athletes achieve their dreams and excellence through sports,” APSF Secretary-General Senior Colonel Dr Wandee Tosuwan said during a panel discussion session at the recent ABU-Sports Media Conference in Kuala Lumpur. The Conference was organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcast Union (ABU) in Kuala Lumpur, which gathered sports field players, media, sporting organisations, sports broadcasters and experts to push for sports broadcasting excellence across the Asia-Pacific region. The region’s paralympic scene has been growing on the right track with flagship event ASEAN Para Games being organised biennially since its inception in Kuala Lumpur in 2001. “We will continue to stick to our principles and mission to ensure equal opportunities for our athletes and the ASEAN Para Games is the perfect ground for them to prove their talents and capabilities in sports, providing them with better pathways to excel in life,” Dr Tosuwan said, adding that the media and broadcasters play an important role in bridging the gap and help APSF and the ASEAN community achieve its equality and inclusivity agenda through sports. “This can be done by providing more airtime, space and opportunities for athletes to tell their stories and what it takes for them to be at the highest competitive levels in their respective sports. “Over the years, we have developed close collaborations with broadcasters and media in hosting countries of our biennial ASEAN Para Games. Support in terms of live broadcast coverage or run-ups during Games time has been tremendous in countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia,” Dr Tosuwan added. APSF plans to have more concrete broadcast and media arrangements and programmes for the next three editions of the ASEAN Para Games in Korat, Thailand (2026), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2027) and Singapore in 2029. “As governing body of the ASEAN Para movement, we are always open to collaboration with parties which could help us to further promote Para sports as we strive to enhance in other key areas such as Games management, sports, technical, classification, human resource and technical expertise, training, coaching and anti-doping.,” said Dr Tosuwan.
The 13th edition of the ASEAN Para Games, incepted in 2001 in Kuala Lumpur, will be held in Korat Thailand from 20-26 January 2026, where 19 sports — archery, para-athletics, badminton, boccia, chess, para-cycling, Football 5-A-Side, CP Football, goalball, judo, para powerlifting, shooting, para-swimming, table tennis, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, E-Sports and wheelchair fencing – are offered.
