NPC Malaysia President, Dato Sri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin, has been elected as Southeast Asia’s sub-regional representative who will sit on the Asian Paralympic Committee (AsPC) Executive Board.
Dato Sri Megat D Shariman, a member of the ASEAN Para Sports Federation (APSF) Board of Governors, won a three-cornered contest against NPC Philippines President, Michael Barredo, and NPC Singapore President, Dr. Teo-Koh Sock Miang. He will serve a four-year (2023-2027) term as the region’s representative to the AsPC Executive Committee.
The election for the position took place in Hangzhou, China in conjunction with the ongoing 4th Asian Para Games.
As a regional representative, Dato Sri Megat D Shahriman, 40, will act as a bridge between APSF and AsPC in ensuring the interests of the region in matters which include the various paralympic activities and policies for para movement in the Asian region.
Presidents and representatives from all 11 Southeast Asia NPCs – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor Leste cast their votes in the election, overseen by the AsPC’s Legal and Ethics Committee, chaired by Keng Chuan Ng.
Apart from South East Asia, the other regional representatives elected include Mr Farrukh Akhmedov (Uzbekistan) for Central Asia, Mr Gursharan Singh (India) for South Asia and Dr Abdelrazaq Banirasheed (UAE) for West Asia region.
There was no candidate elected for the East Asia region as the threshold for the required number of votes was not reached. In accordance with the AsPC bylaws, this position will now be appointed by the AsPC Executive Board.
The representatives’ first Executive Board meeting is scheduled for May 2024, where they will join other Executive Board members who will be elected at AsPC’s General Assembly in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the end of November.
“Congratulations to Dato Sri Megat D Shariman for being elected as the new Southeast Asia representative. APSF looks forward to continuously being actively involved in the empowerment of para-athletes, activities and plans in the region in the next four years and beyond,” said APSF President Major Gen Osoth Bhavilai.
APSF Vice-President (Development) Yi Veasna, looks forward to closer collaboration with AsPC, saying that APSF will continue to strive for excellence and remain relevant, and be one of the most active regional bodies under the AsPC umbrella. He also expressed appreciation to the previous representative, Michael Barredo for his contribution during his tenure as the region’s representative.
APSF Secretary-General Senior Colonel Dr Wandee Tosuwan said that Dato Megat’s role as the region’s representative is pertinent to the continuous development of para-athletes in Southeast Asia, including ensuring APSF’s good standings in the next four-year cycle,” said Col. Wandee.
