KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 (Bernama) — After last winning the Malaysian Deaf Games (SOPMA) in 2018, the Federal Territory (FT) contingent is determined to recapture the overall champion in the 2025 edition to be held in Kuching, Sarawak from Oct 1-7.
The president of Federal Territory Deaf Sports Association and Malaysian Deaf Sports Association (MSDeaf) Ong Shin Ruenn said FT are targeting seven gold medals, notably in tenpin bowling and athletics.
“We are sending 60 athletes with a target of seven gold and we want to return as the overall champion. After all, we have the Southeast Asian Deaf sprint king Muhammad Zamir Azman who just won in Jakarta recently,” he said after the official announcement of the Federal Territory contingent to SOPMA today.
Commenting on MSDeaf, Ong stressed that he is still working to ensure that SOPMA is accorded recognition on par with the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) and Para SUKMA in the near future.
“(The) Last time I met with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh was before going to Jakarta (for Southeast Asian Deaf Games from Aug 20-26), the matter is still under study. We just hope that when deaf athletes win, we will get (rewarded with) incentives,” he said.
Meanwhile, the launching ceremony was officiated by Bandar Tun Razak Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who stated that she had appealed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh that MSDeaf be given funds to operate more effectively.
She said that so far, the feedback from both parties was positive but the actual date of the award was not within her capacity to determine.
For the record, SOPMA (XXI) 2023 was won by the Sabah contingent (16 gold-13 silver-6 bronze tally) with the biennial games specifically staged for deaf athletes in Malaysia.
The evolution of the games began in 1985 as the Deaf Club Sports Championship (KSAKP) before it evolved into the National Deaf Games (SKOP) from 1990 to 2002 and using the official name SOPMA since 2003 until now.
— BERNAMA
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