KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — The Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPC) has sent a letter of inquiry to the Asean Para Sports Federation (APSF) on several matters including the final decision on the hosting of the 2020 Asean Para Games (APG 2020).
MPC secretary-general Datuk R Subramaniam said MPC had asked the APSF to give an update on the latest developments following a report saying that the Thai Paralympic Council intended to organise the 2020 APG Games.
In May, the Philippines as hosts of the APG 2020 decided to cancel the biennial Games following the Covid-19 pandemic after postponing it earlier due to financial difficulties.
“APSF should have a virtual meeting with the representatives from all the countries to make a final decision on the situation,” he said in a press statement today.
Apart from that, Subramaniam said the letter also raised the issue regarding the election of the APSF leadership, with the term of the current line-up supposed to have ended in 2019, but uncertainties over the 2020 APG and the Covid-19 pandemic have delayed elections.
“MPC recognises this situation (delay of elections) but this matter needs to be addressed immediately so that the new committee can take over the task of implementing the 2021 APG in Hanoi.
“MPC sees the need for close cooperation to assist Vietnam in organising the biennial event. The duration now (till APG 2021) is less than 15 months. From past experience, at least 18 months is required to ensure that the organisation of the APG achieves a high standard,” he said.
Subramaniam said an APSF Board of Governors (BoG) meeting should be held urgently to discuss the matter as issues that had been pending for the last six months required joint decision-making.
“We hope that the APSF can take immediate action in restoring stakeholders’ confidence in the governing body which is responsible for organising sports events in Southeast Asia for para-athletes,” he said. — Bernama
