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The SOS football team.
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6th August, 2010
IPOH: The Special Olympics Sabah (SOS) contingent arrived here in high spirits and in a playful mood yesterday for the 2nd Special Olympics Malaysia National Games after spending four hours on the road travelling from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Earlier, the delegation of 32 athletes and eight officials led by head coach Ooi Choon Hock embarked on a two and a half hour flight across the South China Sea from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
Prior to their departure, the athletes from special education schools, CBR, other NGOs and working adults of six district programmes in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Kudat, Beaufort and Kuala Penyu were housed together at the Likas Sports Complex to attend two days of centralised training.
Before sorting out their accommodation at Fair Park Hotel here, the delegation went through the registration exercise, collected their sponsored drinking water, official T-shirts and caps at the Perak Youth and Sports Department.
Later in the afternoon, the track and field athletes attended the process of divisioning for the 4X100m event to determine their groupings, and practised the rehearsal for the opening and closing ceremony event at Perak Stadium.
SOS has sent a full squad to compete in all the events in the offing namely track and field; bowling (singles and doubles); bocce (singles and doubles); and five-a-side football (male).
The official launching ceremony of the National Games organised by Special Olympics Malaysia (SOM) every four years will be held today (August 6) at Perak Stadium and this will involve some 600 athletes.
The competitions provide opportunities for the athletes and their supporters, coaches and parents to participate in the largest Special Olympics event in the country, showcasing their talents, skills and determination, and challenging each other’s abilities.
SOM is a non-profit national organisation responsible for providing year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities in Malaysia.
Through the programmes, SOM provides continuing opportunities to develop the athletes’ physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympic athletes and the community.
Started in 2000, presently, some 15,000 athletes nationwide are taking part in Special Olympics, with the involvement of 1,000 coaches and 1,500 volunteers.
For the record, the first National Games was hosted by Sabah in 2006 where it was used as a selection trial for the Malaysian athletes competing at the 2007 Shanghai Special Olympics World Summer Games in China.
This time around it will be used as a platform to select athletes for the 2011 Athens Special Olympics World Summer Games in Greece.
Later in the evening, the 15 competing teams including athletes, coaches and volunteers from across the country were treated to a welcoming dinner at Masterskill College of Nursing and Health before the heads of delegation adjourned for their first meeting.
Meanwhile, the SOS bowling team comprises Mike Madi Ngadiman, Ong Chee Gian, Mohd Nurasrif Jatin, Joanne Valentina Jusmin, Joanna Cherlyn Julius, Norashikin Mohd Yassin, Wenny Yapp Xue Wen, Mohd Azuwan Makjuni, Lucy Chiuh (coach) and Samsir Yasyo (coach).
The track and field representatives are Jeffrye Suffiyian Jamaludin, Janaina Mokrin, Mohd Hafizi Nizam, Dinalia Daud, Chong Chu Vui, Azwan Alip, Liew Siew Fui and Rohana Pelayo, Maria Chang (coach) and Florence James (coach).
The football team are made up of Saujih Mohd, Jaini Bindon, Mohd Affenday Julai, Asli Ajak, Kadir Hamit Amir, Abdul Rauf Abd Lasin, Mohd Shafiq Abdul Rahman, Hassanuddin Jamadi, Judin Tangulon (coach) and Ramlie Said (coach).
In bocce are Jusinie Jugih, Fedrey Alfred, Mohd Hazimie Osih, Ho Hou Heng, Kuan Siew Fong, Ziana Jamaruddin, Azri Julharun, Asnah Mahkota, Bibi Rakhmat Kipnih (coach) and Masdorah Bzamban.
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