The most prestigious and biggest sports meet for athletes with disabilities, the Paralympic Games, officially commenced its 15th edition in Rio de Janeiro, yesterday.
The skies around Maracana Stadium located in the sprawling Brazilian metropolitan city was once again alighted with colourful bursts of fireworks that marked the Games’ official opening.
The new Brazilian President, Michel Temer, opened the Paralympic Games in a ceremony filled with pomp and splendour for the 11-day competition.
The Paralympics this time involve 4,300 athletes with disabilities from 161 countries.
Malaysia’s chef de mission Dr Ang Kean Koo and Jalur Gemilang flag-bearer Abdul Latif Romly led the country’s 21 participating athletes, with a mission to to win the first gold medal for the country at the Games.
The Malaysian contingent marched into the Maracana Stadium looking smart in their orange baju Melayu and baju kurung with the accompanying samping and selendang bearing the tiger stripe motif.
They will be competing in 23 sporting events at the Paralympics this time.
For the record, Malaysia started participating in the Paralympic Games in 1972 in Heidelberg, Germany with only three athletes but sent none for the next three editions.
Malaysia, however, rejoined the Games in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea and won its first medal, a bronze, through P Mariappan in powerlifting.
In the next edition held in Barcelona in 1992, the Malaysian contingent did better, winning one silver through Cheok Kon Fatt, also in powerlifting, and two bronze medals through Mariappan (powerlifting) and Mohd Khasseri Othman (athletics).
In the 13th edition of the Paralympics in Beijing, China in 2008, powerlifting athlete Siow Lee Chan created history by being the first Malaysian female para-athlete to win a medal and the only one for the country in that edition.
At the Games in London in 2012, the Malaysian contingent won a silver in archery through Hasihin Sanawi in the recurve event and a bronze through Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli in athletics (shot put).
- Bernama
