12th December 2010 marked the start of the Guangzhou 2010 1st Asia Para Games; this first ever Asia Para Games included 19 sports with 17 which are Paralympic sports and results from the 17 Paralympic sports were taken into consideration for qualification of London 2012 Paralmypic Games.
The sports events contested are Athletics, Swimming, Archery, Shooting, Boccia, Wheelchair Fencing, Powerlifting, Judo, Goalball, Football 7-a-Side, Cycling, Wheelchair Tennis, Rowing, Table Tennis, Volleyball Sitting, Wheelchair Basketball, Football 5-a-Side, Badminton and Bowling.
A total of 2,512 athletes from 41 countries and all 5 sub-regions of Asia (West Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and South Asia) as well as 1,286 team officials, 1,096 technical officials and 2,558 reporters from 185 media attended The Games.
Hosted in the same city using the same venues and facilities as its able-bodied counterpart, the Asian Games or Asiad; the Guangzhou 2010 1st Asian Games was a shining example of equal rights and opportunities to all and served as a driver for improvements towards a world that is accessible to both the able-bodied or people with disabilities.
It was a simple and as usual, hot and wet afternoon in Kuala Lumpur. A couple of days ago, I had approached the Malaysian Paralympic Council to see if I can take a couple of shots for my portfolio at any paralympic type event. To my surprise, MPM have agreed to meet me immediately.
The Asean Para Games is considered the biggest multi-sports and multi-disability sporting event for the disabled in the Asean Regions. The Asean Para Games has been organized every two years, since the formation of the Asean Para Sports Federation (APSF) in 2001. KL’09, 5th Asean Para Games will be held in Kuala Lumpur from 15 to 19 August 2009. 10 APSF member nations plus Timor Leste will be participating in this games with approximately 1200 athletes and officials involved.