Youth programmes, training camps planned to boost Para sports in Asia

In a major boost to the Paralympic movement in the region, the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Icheon Training Center of Korea Paralympic Committee (KPC) during its 23^rd Executive Board Meeting in Manama, Bahrain.

The MoU, signed by APC President Majid Rashed and Head of Icheon Training Center Jung Jin Owan, focuses on strengthening the Paralympic Movement in Asia through youth programmes, training camps, educating and training referees, classifiers and technical officials and sports science seminars.

According to the MoU, the parties will hold an annual APC-ITC Para Youth Sports Camp for developing countries at the Icheon Training Centre; run a Para Sport Academy providing coaches, classifiers and technical officials with certified education programmes, hold an annual International Sport Science Seminar every other year at the Icheon Training Centre; publish an International Sport Science Journal and organise a joint editorial committee and publishing committee; and encourage scholars to submit journal articles and results of International Sport Science Seminar into the Journal and post the Journal on the APC website.

“We are very proud to have signed this MoU which shows Korean Paralympic Committee has been a strong partner in our Movement. I had the privilege to attend the Korea National Para Games and the Sports Science Seminar in Seoul last October. And we had discussed a lot of things to strengthen the Movement,” said Rashed.

“I really appreciate KPC for their contribution towards the Movement and for taking this step forward. The slogan ‘Together we are Stronger’ means we have the support and contribution from all countries, who have advantage in various areas. The result of this association will be fruitful for our athletes,” Rashed added.

Delighted with the association, Jung added: “It is such a touching moment that the MoU has finally been signed by APC and KPC today. KPC has been committed to working towards the Paralympic Movement in Asia and share all the legacies the Republic of Korea has achieved ever since after the 1988 Seoul Paralympic Games and 2018 PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games.

“KPC would like to make more specific action plans to implement the Para Sports Academy, Para Youth Sports Camp and International Sports Science Seminar in cooperation with the APC,” Jung said adding that the turning point of the success of the Center was the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.

Post the signing, a co-ordination meeting was held to discuss the Action Plan of the signed MoU - how the parties will contribute to the development of the Paralympic Movement in Asia. Both the parties also discussed briefly the timing and size of the training programme and seminar.

All of the specific business agreed through the MoU will be implemented from next year.