Para Games to end SG50 festivities

Hot on the heels of the SEA Games, Singapore will also host the ASEAN Para Games for the first time next year.

Scheduled for Dec 3-9, the eighth edition of the biennial Games will serve as one of the final events in the Republic's 50th birthday celebrations.

Spearheading a 15-member steering committee is Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong, with Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Sam Tan as his deputy.

"We hope to break down the barriers that often prevent people with disabilities from participating in sport," Mr Wong said in a statement yesterday.

"Through the ASEAN Para Games, we want to bring together more partners who share this vision of sport without boundaries and take concrete steps towards building a more active and inclusive society in Singapore."

The week-long event will see the Republic host over 2,000 athletes and officials competing across 12 to 15 sports at the new Singapore Sports Hub and the surrounding Kallang area.

A gold medallist at the 2008 London Paralympics, Yip Pin Xiu believes that the Games' benefits will reach beyond the local disabled community.

"The ASEAN Para Games is a significant event not just for the disabled community but also for the community at large to appreciate and support disabled sport," said the 23-year-old, who is also on the steering committee.

"I believe that our para-athletes who are competing on home ground in December next year will inspire the community to live better through sport for generations to come."

fabiusc@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 27, 2014.
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