No stones have been left unturned by the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) to give their best to the Malaysian contingent to the 9th Asean Para Games which begin in Kuala Lumpur on Sep[t 17.
In collaboration with the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS), the Health Ministry, the National Sports Council (MSN) and the National Sports Institute (ISN), the PCM have ensured “only the best” for the contingent.
Chef de Mission (CDM) Datuk Subramaniam Raman Nair is more than pleased with the “attention given” to the 326 national athletes, who will be taking part in 16 sports.
Subramaniam gave the thumbs up to accommodation facilities provided for the Malaysian contingent at the Seri Pacific Hotel – which is the official hotel.
“As far as accommodation is concerned, it comes with complete facilities for the ‘special’ athletes are provided three meals a day including other additional food for their special needs.
“We don’t have any complaints so far. We are, however, a bit cautious to make sure the athletes don’t over eat. The wheelchair athletes have got proper facilities and accessibility to the toilets.
“And the Health Ministry did a thorough check on the kitchens of the hotel to make sure that we don’t experience food poisoning problems. The authorities will continuously ensure that there is no contamination of food,” said Subramaniam.
According to Subramaniam, the Malaysians, who have been housed at the hotel September 3, are currently in their last phase of team building and strict regulations have been laid out to ensure that discipline is instilled.
“All necessary arrangements have been made and it’s only a matter of readjusting ourselves into a competitive state. After the 10th, the athletes will focus on training before the Games commence on the 17th.
“We have very strict rules where the athletes have been told that their family will only be able to visit them after training hours and that too at the hotel lobby.
“There will be a time limit to comply with and strict rules to adhere. There will be no late night activities. It will be compulsory for all the athletes to participate in our motivational programmes after dinner.
“Motivational programmes will be from 8.30pm to 10.30pm every night. After that they will move back to their respective cabins.
“Only athletes are allowed to enter the rooms and no one is permitted to bring their family members into their rooms which are shared,” explained Subramaniam.
Apart from coaches and team managers, 80 personnel from the MSN, ISN and PCM – will be helping out to strengthen the support system.
“Overall, I’m very happy as the government has taken a very good initiative through the ‘Kita Juara’ project which was launched two years ago. Through this project we identified a pool of talents and we are focused on them.
“With the support given plus the home ground advantage you can expect the best from the contingent at the Para Games,” added Subramaniam. – BY ALVIN OH
