Extraordinary Welcome For Teams Competing In ASEAN Para Games In Singapore

By TENGKU NOOR SHAMSIAH TENGKU ABDULLAH SINGAPORE, Dec 1 (Bernama) -- Ten flags were raised and hoisted at the Event Plaza @ Marina Bay Sands Tuesday as part of the Teams Welcome Ceremony for the 8th ASEAN Para Games. Facing Singapore’s iconic CBD skyline, the national anthems of all 10 nations resounded throughout Marina Bay Tuesday as Singapore welcomed the chef de missions, team officials and athletes who will be participating in the first ever ASEAN Para Games to be held here. In his welcome speech, Chairman of the Singapore ASEAN Para Games Organising Committee (SAPGOC) Exco, Lim Teck Yin highlighted the theme and vision of the 8th ASEAN Para Games. “The theme, ‘Celebrate the Extraordinary’ is about connecting individuals, communities and countries in our region to our dreams. It is beyond competing, winning or even overcoming defeat. "It is about inspiring the one that is inside each of us, and then going on to inspire those around us. Each of us have a story to tell. Stories of struggle and triumph; stories of pain or loss, and stories of profound joy and peace. Our stories are the vision of the 8th ASEAN Para Games," he said. The 8th ASEAN Para Games will be held from Dec 3 to 9, with the Singapore Sports Hub as the main venue for the Games held in conjunction with Singapore’s 50th anniversary. In terms of contingent size, Thailand took the lead with a total of 375 members comprising 261 athletes and 114 officials, followed by Malaysia with 281 (192 athletes, 89 officials), Indonesia 225 (189 athletes, 36 officials), and Singapore 217 (154 athletes, 63 officials). The Brunei contingent comprised 43 attendees (27 athletes, 16 officials), Cambodia 40 (29 athletes, 11 officials), Laos 62 (40 athletes, 22 officials), Myanmar 143 (102 athletes, 41 officials), the Philippines 79 (64 athletes, 15 officials) and Vietnam 159 (127 athletes, 32 officials). -- BERNAMA