MPM Confident Malaysia Will Do Better At KL ASEAN Para Games

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Paralympics Council is highly confident that the national contingent will do better at the Kuala Lumpur ASEAN Para Games next year. Its president SM Nasaruddin SM Nasimuddin told a press conference here Wednesday that athletics, swimming, badminton and tenpin bowling had bright prospects for gold at the Games, which will be held from Sept 17-23. Sixteen sports will be competed at the ASEAN Para Games 2017 namely archery, athletics, badminton, boccia, chess, cycling, five-a-side football, seven-a-side football, goalball, powerlifting, wheelchair volleyball, swimming, table tennis, tenpin bowling, wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball. Some 3,000 athletes and officials from the regional grouping are due to take part in the Games. At the 2015 edition of the Games hosted by Singapore, Malaysia finished in third place overall with a haul of 52 gold, 58 silver and 37 bronze. Since then Malaysian paralympians have created sporting history by winning three gold medals and a bronze at this year's Rio Paralympics, which puts the national contingent on a sound footing to produce much better results this time around. Chef-de-mission Subramaniam Raman, who was also present, said they were looking at a haul of 60-70 gold medals. -- BERNAMA