3 & 4 May 2008 – Wheelchair Basketball Association (Singapore) in collaboration with International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Asia Oceania staged the Wheelchair Basketball Technical Clinics. Spanning across two days, the seminar included two components that were carried out concurrently, refereeing and classification. The clinics took place at the United World College of South East Asia Dover Campus.

The refereeing segment was conducted by Mr Greg Love, Secretary General of IWBF Asia Oceania. The turnout for this clinic turned out to be particicularly encouraging as more than 50 Singapore national basketball referees participated in the course.

This segment of the clinic turned out to be expectedly enriching and entertaining. Mr Love went beyond simply providing technical information such as game rules, to the participants He also showed us live examples on how the violation or a foul is committed.

The course included practical sessions for the participants as well, to play and have a feel on what the game is actually about. Basketball is a highly competitive sport that requires both agility and speed from each player to play the game well. Similarly for Wheelchair Basketball, the players adopt the movements and the speed of the wheelchair. However, for wheelchair basketball every movement made by each player is very tactical. In terms of using the wheelchair to block the opponent’s direction of movement, shooting position and to stop the wheelchair from moving completely. The strategies used are all similar to basketball. 

However, there are only very few differences between wheelchair basketball and basketball, pertaining mainly to violation. Example:  “the violation of double bouncing the ball in basketball”, for wheelchair basketball this violation is omitted for practical reasons as well as to keep the game free flowing. 

The classification clinic was helmed by Ms Tan Jin, an IWBF International Classifier. The course saw five participants, including physiotherapist, sport engineer and coaches, who are keen to know about wheelchair basketball classification. Through this clinic, participants would obtain a healthy headstart en route to becoming a full fledged national classifier. The course syllabus included general information about the IWBF Classification System as well as practical sessions such as training and real-time match observations.

During the certificate presentation ceremony, Mr. Lim Puay Tiak, President WBA Singapore hoped that the clinics would nurture potential national referees and classifiers as an integral effort to grow wheelchair basketball in Singapore. 

VISA International launched the Team VISA mentorship program on 6 May 2008 at the Salon, National Museum of Singapore, in a bid to help Team Singapore prepare for the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics.

Five of our athletes, Theresa Goh (Swimming), Logaraj s/o Raju (Shooting), Mohd Rashid bin Kandar (Shooting), Adrian Ignatius (Swimming) and Ken Lai (Soccer) were on hand to reap the benefits of this enriching initiative.

The event began with the official launch of the program that was helmed by Ms Meranda Chan, country manager, Singapore and Brunei, Visa International, Mr Ng Ser Miang, Vice-President of Singapore National Olympic Council, Mr Chris Chan, Secretary General of Singapore National Olympic Council, Ms Amy Chong of Team Singapore as well as Ms Kelly Fan, Acting Executive Director of Singapore Disability Sports Council. They each took turns penning their support for Team Singapore.

The highlight of the program definitely came in the form of two highly decorated and vastly experienced athletes who were invited to the program as mentors for the Team Singapore athletes.

Ms Yuko Arimori, the first Japanese female professional athlete and a silver and bronze medalist marathoner at the Olympics. 

Mr Canagasabai Kunalan, Singapore sprinting legend who held the national record for the century dash for an amazing 33 years since 1968.  Mr Kunalan also participated in the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games.

The participants were tutored on various aspects that will assist them greatly at the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics. These included the media workshop that will enable the athletes to handle questions from the media in a more professional manner.

Participants were then separated into different groups and were guided through the various aspects of games preparation by the mentors, Ms Arimori and Mr C. Kunalan. 

The mentorship program drew to a close at about 5.00pm, leaving Team Singapore in good stead to perform their best at the Olympics and Paralympics.

Team Singapore with Mentors, Mr C. Kunalan (back row, third from left) and Ms Yuko Arimori (back row, fourth from left). Photo: Jarita Ignatius

Some of the world’s best Paralympic athletes from the sport of Athletics, Cycling, Swimming and Wheelchair Basketball will gather in Manchester from 7 to 11 May for the fourth edition of the Paralympic World Cup.

The 2008 Paralympic World Cup will be the biggest yet with around 400 athletes from 45 different countries using the event to fine tune their preparations ahead of the Paralympic Games in Beijing in September.

In Swimming, an additional day of competition will mean more athletes than ever before competing at the Aquatics Centre. Wheelchair Basketball will continue the same thrilling format as last year and will be hosted in a new venue, the Manchester Regional Arena. With the Cycling schedule remodelled to replicate the World Championships, record numbers are expected to come to Manchester for two days of competition. Athletics will again provide a fitting climax to the event on Sunday.

The Paralympic World Cup is the biggest international multi sport event for athletes with a disability outside of the Paralympic Games. It was created to provide an annual world-class multi-sport event and to give top athletes with a disability more opportunity to compete with their international counterparts in between the four yearly Paralympic Games.

Hosted by the British Paralympic Association, it is sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and the International Cycling Union (UCI), and supported by UK Sport, Manchester City Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). The BBC has again committed to cover the event as they continue to showcase sport for persons with a disability ahead of the Paralympics.

IPC’s internet TV channel ParalympicSport.TV will also broadcast highlights of the event.

For more information, a detailed schedule and results, please visit the official website at http://www.paralympicworldcup.com.

According to a recent survey, 93% of the UK public see Paralympic athletes as good role models for young people. A total of 69% of those polled say that there should be more media coverage of Paralympic Sport.

The research, conducted by Opinion Leader, was published last week by the London 2012 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

Sebastian Coe, LOCOG Chairperson, said: “We want to use the power of the Games to inspire change, and one of the key legacies the London 2012 Paralympic Games can leave is to change public and media attitudes towards people with a disability. This research gives us an important insight into attitudes towards Paralympic Sport and we will use it to underpin our plans. We will build on the high level of awareness, and, working with the International Paralympic Committee and the British Paralympic Association, make sure we take every opportunity to educate, engage, inform and inspire the UK public and the world over the next four years and deliver a truly memorable Paralympic Games in 2012.”

Other key findings in the research are that 85% of the UK public believe that Paralympic athletes are as professional as able-bodied athletes. Of those polled, most agreed (93%) that sport for persons with a disability requires just as much skill as non-disability sport.

Nearly all respondents (96 per cent) said that having a disability should not prevent people from taking up the opportunity to play sport – strong evidence of a positive attitude in the UK towards people with a disability.

Athletics, Wheelchair Basketball and Swimming topped the list of sports that the public associate spontaneously with the Paralympic Games. When prompted with a list of sports, there was also high awareness of Archery, Shooting and Table Tennis.

But the survey showed that 69% of respondents could not name a Paralympian. The best known Paralympian was Dame Tanni Grey- Thompson. Equally, whilst 94% of the UK public have heard of the Paralympic Games, it cannot be assumed that they necessarily have a good understanding of the Games and its participants.

The survey indicates a lower awareness of the Paralympic Games and of Paralympians amongst younger age groups, particularly those under 24. This provides another area for London 2012 and its partners to focus efforts to raise awareness through its plans to maximize new media outlets including broadband TV and sports networking sites.

A number of in-depth interviews with prominent correspondents in the sports and news media, conducted simultaneously with the poll of the general public, showed an appetite for personality-led Paralympic features and offered the advice that the gap between the close of the Olympic Games and the opening of the Paralympic Games should be as short as possible to maintain public interest. Equally, the media were keen to find the emerging Paralympic stars of Beijing 2008.

LOCOG also published a Guide to the Paralympic Games to explain more about the history and background of the Games. 

This is downloadable along with the research at http://www.london2012.com/news/publications.

The National Paralympic Committees of Spain and China signed a significant document last week which would allow a free-flow of information exchange about Paralympic sports and events. This will in effect promote the Paralympic Movement, leaving a permanent open pipeline of knowledge and experiences between Spain and China.

The accord was signed by Spain’s NPC President, Miguel Carballeda, and China’s NPC Vice-President and IPC Governing Board Member, Shen Zhifei in Madrid, Spain. The interchange will include the organization of sports events, science, sponsorship, medicine, and technology applied to Paralympic sports.

The two NPCs will promote actions to improve performance, knowledge and techniques of Paralympic athletes and coaches by granting them professional training in both countries.

The National Paralympic Committee of China was founded in 1983 and consists of local sports associations of athletes with a disability in each province, self-autonomous region, and major municipalities. Spain’s National Paralympic Committee was created in 1995, and in 1998 the organization was recognized with the same rights and function as the Olympic Committee of Spain.

From 26 to 27 April, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Classification Committee met to discuss implementation, education and research related to the approved IPC Classification Code.

Furthermore, the importance of encouraging evidence based classification systems was also discussed and collaboration with the IPC Sport Science Committee on this subject was acknowledged.

“The approval of the Code in November was a critical step after four years of development and input by all stakeholders of the Paralympic Movement,” said Trish Jensen, IPC Classification Committee Chairperson. “And, now we must turn our sights to what it means for implementation, particularly related to the goal of achieving harmonious approaches to classification policies and procedures, and research.  Ultimately, the result will be greater understanding by athletes, coaches and officials, and an approach for competition that enhances all elements of elite competition”, she added.

The Committee recently welcomed new members whose task is to continue planning for implementation of the Classification Code by the beginning of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.  In addition, members will be available to International Federations and National Paralympic Committees for presentations that further develop understanding and awareness of the Code.

Prior to the IPC Classification Committee meeting, an expert group in support of the IPC Athletics Classification Research, led by Dr. Sean Tweedy, met in Bonn for four days to discuss the IPC Membership feedback to the proposed revised IPC Athletics Classification Manual and to develop reliable and valid measurement instruments in support of the renewed classification system. Both IPC Athletics and the IPC Classification Committee were briefed on the current project status in the end of their meetings.

Results of National Selection Trials (Athletics)

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Targeted at 15- to 18-year olds, we received overwhelming response from various schools and individuals for this beginners’ camp. For many, it was their first time camping and it certainly was an eye-opening experience. To learn how to interact with others, work as a team and pick up skills from the various activities like swimming and athletics, it wasn’t easy, but all the participants passed with flying colours. They managed to step out of their comfort zone and learnt independence.

Some participants shared their favourites:

“I like the volunteers.” – Clara

“I like track and field as I can build muscle.” – Fathuddin

“I like swimming because I can swim fast.” – Vanessa

“I like to play with the group most.” – Rafi

“I meet a lot of friends from the camp.” – Khalil

Within a short span of three days and two nights, many participants worked up a spirit that left them unwilling to go home. This included the volunteers who had built a close bond with the participants during the camp. Here are some thoughts shared by our wonderful volunteers:

“Fun and adorable! Each is unique in their own ways. The exposure to all the special kids is awesome!” – Eyleen Chua

“I really enjoyed making them smile!” – Shan Chin

“Learn to treasure things in life and that anything can be overcome if you have the will.” – Yuan Jun

“What I like most is actually the times that we sat down for our meals and we would chat about anything like friends that we have known long ago.” – Ellis

“In this camp, I had to interact with people whom I would not be able to interact with in my daily life.” – Zhang Meng

At the end of the camp, all the participants received their certificate of achievement, acknowledging how they have overcome all their diversity and difficulties faced during the camp. Some were even crowned “Best Campers”, with their enthusiastic participation and other achievements in the camp. Well done, everyone!

Christyne, an ex-coach who moved to Singapore from Australia, is a dynamic woman of many skills. Tennis, soccer, racing, sailing, rafting...you name it, she’s done it. And before she embarked on her next challenge - a three-week adventure trek overseas, SDSC caught her in time to conduct a tennis workshop. The participants were originally signed up for another activity - a wheelchair tennis friendly - which was unfortunately canceled at the last minute. In order not to disappoint them, SDSC decided to pull this workshop together. And with the ready agreement by Christyne, we were raring to go.

And the feedback from this workshop was tremendously beyond our expectations. While some of the participants had experience in tennis previously, some had not even sat on a tennis wheelchair before. But Christyne had no problems gathering the participants together into a team. Soon, they were cheering each other on as Christyne set more and more difficult courses for them. And everyone had good laughs during the group chat at the end.

Before the workshop ended, some participants were already asking about the next workshop or activity. Well, be sure to keep a look out on our website for some exciting times ahead!

(For a side note: In fact, we had trouble “peeling” the players off the tennis chairs at the end, because they loved the feel of it so much!)

Here’s some pictures taken on that day:

SDSC sincerely thanks Christyne, Tony, David, Ben, Jimmy and all the participants who have made this workshop possible.

It was a worthwhile risk as not only Theresa but all members of the 4th ASEAN Para Games contingent returned home with a broad smile. Much of these stemmed from the games brought by the Settlers’ gang which elicited frequent eruptions of laughter throughout the night, and the abundant flow of delicious food.

Serving as the finale to the 4th ASEAN Para Games, the Team Singapore Appreciation Party was held to thank all athletes, officials and volunteers who have helped carve Singapore’s success. 94 athletes and officials attended the games, held in Korat, Thailand, from 18 to 27 January 2008. Singapore returned with 7 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze medals.

Although the Party was a simple affair, the feeling of pride was nevertheless strong in the air. The medalists received caricatures of themselves in flattering action poses drawn by Singaporean caricature artist, Lawrence Koh, who sent a congratulatory message from Los Angeles. (We noticed how the athletes were pleasingly jabbing each other as they counted the number of pectoral muscles Lawrence had “given” them.)

Following that, a short video featuring memorable shots taken by Tay Ling, volunteer photographer who spent an arduous ten days in Korat tracking this extraordinary journey, was shown. (Tay Ling returned satisfied from the trip, but worrying if anyone in Singapore could still recognize him with his new deep tan.)

As the night went on, the athletes and officials immersed themselves in the heights of merrymaking. There were numerous games to choose from: balancing umpteen objects on a platter atop a tiny tower, searching for targeted objects on cluttered drawings, or even just snatching and grabbing cards from each other. (We overheard the players “complaining” about the injuries they suffered afterwards. Luckily, no one had to be sent to the hospital!)

Nonetheless, it drew a special bond between the athletes and officials, who were having boisterous fun not just within their individual teams, but as one Team Singapore.

To view a slideshow of some photos taken during the Party, click here