KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 -- The lack of local and international championships following the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted national Paralympians in their preparation for the Tokyo Paralympic Games in August.
One of them is national para long jumper Abdul Latif Romly, who is seeking to defend the gold medal he won at the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"So far, we have no problems with the training sessions but I am only looking to compete in championships... it's hard to find something suitable.
"I’ve only participated in one local meet, the Malaysian Grand Prix (GP) Championship, but have yet to compete internationally,” he told reporters during a recording session for the Youth and Sports Ministry's Hari Raya celebrations together with other national athletes here yesterday.
According to Abdul Latif, he was ready to comply with any standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the National Sports Council (NSC) ahead of the Paralympics in Tokyo following a drastic rise in COVID-19 cases there.
Last Wednesday, Kyodo news agency reported that the Japanese government is planning to announce a state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and Hyogo as a spike in COVID-19 cases was affecting healthcare system there.
In the 2016 Paralympics, Abdul Latif won gold medal in the T20 (learning disability) long jump event with a leap of 7.60 metres, beating the then world record.
-- BERNAMA
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