THE ASEAN Para Sports Federation (APSF) plans to embark on more impactful initiatives to continuously empower para sports and athletes in the region through strategic collaboration with regional members of the movement. 

This includes the establishment and promotion of Centres of Excellence in the region which would further boost the progress and development of the region’s movement, sports, athletes and officials, said APSF Secretary-General Senior Colonel Dr Wandee Tosuwan here today.

“This could be done through close collaboration with active member countries such as Malaysia to be a hub and put our development programmes in place. It would not only help the progress of sports and athletes from our region but beyond Southeast Asia as well,” said Senior Colonel Dr Wandee at the APSF Strategic Management Workshop in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. 

Also present at the workshop were President of the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM), Dato Sri Megat D Shariman Zaharudin and its Secretary-General, First Admiral (R) Dato Subramaniam Raman. 

Megat Shariman, who is also a member of the APSF Board of Governors, is in his first term as the Southeast Asia sub-regional representative to the Asian Paralympic Committee (AsPC) Executive Board. 

“NPC Malaysia is among our active members who is always keen in contributing towards the development of our para-athletes and this could be achieved through the establishment of such excellence centres,” said Senior Col Dr Wandee. 

Speaking in his capacity as the sub-regional representative to the AsPC, Dato Sri Megat D Shariman expressed appreciation to APSF including the Board of Governors, its Executive Committee and the APSF Secretariat headed by Col Wandee, for continuously pushing forward the federation’s agenda of promoting para sports and athletes through the federation’s biennial flagship event ASEAN Para Games since 2001.

The ASEAN Para Games, incepted in 2001 in Kuala Lumpur, enters its 13th edition scheduled in Korat, Thailand from 20-26 January 2026. 

Thailand has offered to host 19 sports which include archery, para-athletics, badminton, boccia, chess, para-cycling, Football 5-A-Side, CP Football, goalball, judo, 

para powerlifting, shooting, para-swimming, table tennis, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, E-Sports and wheelchair fencing. 

“We welcome strategic collaborations with all parties for the good of our NPCs and athletes, and along the way, setting pathways for our young athletes to achieve excellence and equality in life through sports,” said Dato Sri Megat Shariman.

The two-day workshop, organised by the APSF secretariat, was held over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur and attended by APSF Directors from various functional areas which include Sports, Classification, Anti-Doping, Protocol, Events, Strategic Development, Media and Broadcast and Games Secretariat Management. 

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