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By Jian Hong and Taqiah
It was heartening to see a great turn out for the National Boccia Challenge Charity Drive on 10 December 2006. The event, held early on a bright Sunday morning, was organized by the Rotary Club of Bugis Junction and the Changi-Simei YEC. The main aim was to raise funds for the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC), and to introduce boccia (pronounced as ‘boh-chee-ah’ ) as a game that can be played by both the disabled as well as the able bodied.
Boccia is a Paralympic sport and usually those who suffer from cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy, engage in it. Although it may seem like a simple game with few tools, a boccia set alone could cost $800. Thus, this charity drive was conceived to help SDSC continue its boccia programme, while spreading the outreach of boccia to the disabled and the elderly all over Singapore. Overall, the event raised more than $30 000, with $13000 donated by Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC).
Participants gathered at the ITE College East Simei prior to the drive, and were enthusiastically revving their engines before being flagged off by Ms. Jessica Tan, Member of Parliament and Advisor to the Changi-Simei Grassroots Committee. They were required to drive to three SPC locations including Tuas, Bukit Merah and Bedok to acquire clues for their next location a la The Amazing Race. They also had to engage themselves in boccia, playing in a wheelchair, at various ITEs including ITE Clementi and ITE Bishan. This was to allow competitors to experience the difficulties, and to understand as well as appreciate the strengths of the athletes despite their disabilities. Jeralyn Tan and Goh Ta Lang, both elite athletes training under SDSC’s Boccia programme, were around to demonstrate and teach the participants how to play boccia.
Initially, youths from the Changi-Simei District were encouraged to brainstorm on an event which would allow youths to come together and learn more about the disabled. However, with this event, they not only managed to engage teenagers but also attracted many of various ages. MP Jessica Tan was pleased with the outcome. “Events such as this can help shape Singapore into a more inclusive community,” said Ms Tan.
Ms. Chua Mun Yuen, manager of investor relations and communications from SPC, explained that besides this Charity Drive, the introduction of boccia will continue as part of a six-month program which will extend the outreach to other academic institutions such as polytechnics.
Mr. Frankie Thanapal Sinniah, Chairman of the Disability Sports 21 sub-committee of SDSC, also revealed a plan to set up boccia training centers in all four corners of Singapore. “It’s an initiative to bring boccia to the people and the athletes. Transportation is costly and the athletes live in different parts of Singapore. It is also troublesome for the athletes to travel so far to train. Therefore we will bring boccia to them.” said Mr Sinniah.
“Let’s move on from merely accepting, to understanding and embracing the fact that, although the athletes are disabled, they have unique strengths and abilities,” MP Jessica Tan added. “Sometimes they can even excel in something that we, the able bodied find challenging, like playing boccia.”