Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing presents honorary cash awards to medalists of Myanmar sport contingent that took the 6th place at the 11th ASEAN Para Games participated by 11 countries
NAY PYI TAW August 20
A ceremony to honour medalists of the Myanmar sport contingent to the 11th ASEAN Para Games held in Indonesia was organized at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium B here this afternoon attended by Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing who delivered an address and presented honorary cash awards.
Also present together with the Senior General were SAC Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win, SAC members, Union level officials, Union ministers, the Nay Pyi Taw Council chairman, senior military officers of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, the Nay Pyi Taw Command commander, deputy ministers, presidents and vice presidents of sports federations, invited guests, athletes who have bro[1]ught honour to the country, managers, coaches and officials.
The Senior General said in the world’s dictionaries, the term sports means “all types of competitive physical activities” or “all competitions involving physical exertion and intelligence”n the past the vision of sports was for the health and fitness of the entire nation. But now, from the individually compete sports events to the ones that are participated by hundreds are being held. Likewise, sports events from rural level to Olympic level are also being held.
Sports success further improves a country’s international image and they are now referred to as arms-less battles. As sports is developing and gaining more popularity alongside the changing trends, it has reached the stage of improving the image of the country and its people as a national duty from the level of a fitness activity.
Hence, gathering of nationalselections from national level sports activities and competitions has become a must. In the past, there were only the SEA Games, whose former name was SEAP Games, Asian Games and Olympic Games.
Nowadays, people are injured in the natural disasters, and every time a person is killed in the conflicts and armed or bomb attacks about five persons are wounded. There are also inborn mentally or physically disabled persons. According to the WHO, the population of global people with disabilities has reached 15 percent of the global population.
People with disabilities numbering over one billion have become an issue to ponder. Greater attention must be paid to their causes and rights. As they too are human beings, people with disabilities also need physical and mental health.For this reason, they are being encouraged to take part in the sports they are interested in. According to the 2014 census, 4.6 percent of Myanmar’s population or 2.3 million were people with disabilities. International organizations, NGOs, volunteers, and the public are joining hands with the government in implementing rehabilitation programs, programs to restore their social lives, their human dignity, and to ensure equal rights with the abled counterparts. Sports training centres are being built for the athletes with disabilities.
Nowadays, protection of the rights of persons with disabili[1]ties has become an issue on which special attention is paid by the international community including the UN. As Myanmar people uphold the four cardinal virtues such as loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and impartiality by recanting the old views and concepts over persons with disabilities of the past such as lack of knowledge, neglect, superstition and fear, the rights of persons with disabilities, who are integral part of the society, must be treated as an issue related to everyindividual and the entire Myanmar society.
Therefore, the ASEAN Para Sports Federation (APSF) was founded in 2001 with the aim of enhancing the sport standards of persons with disabilities and promoting friendship in the ASEAN region and it was found that Myanmar, as a member of the ASEAN, participated in all the games, which take place every two years. Although Myanmar sent only a few athletes to the games, the athletes were able to bring back many medals in each participating event, according to records.
Studying the records, it was found that Myanmar fielded 31 athletes in the first games hosted by Malaysia in 2001 and won 77 medals including 43 golds and rank-3 among the participating countries. In the second games hosted by Vietnam in 2003, Myanmar sent 26 athletes and won 47 medals including 24 golds and rank-4 among the participating countries. A total of 22 Myanmar athletes participated in the third games held in the Philippines in 2005 and they won 46 medals including 29 golds and rank-5 among the participating countries. Altogether 25 athletes took part in the fourth games hosted by Thailand in 2007 and brought back 51 medals including 14 golds and rank-6 among participating countries for Myanmar. In the fifth games hosted by Malaysia in 2009, Myanmar fielded 25 athletes and received 40 medals including 14 golds and rank-6 among the competing countries. In the sixth games hosted by Indonesia in 2011, Myanmar sent 36 athletes and won 34 medals including 11 golds and the sixth place. A total of 215 Myanmar athletes participated in the seventh games hosted by Myanmar in 2013 and won 96 medals including 34 golds and the fifth place in the final medal tally. Myanmar sent 102 participants to the eighth games in Singapore in 2015 and won 62 medals including 16 golds and the sixth place in the final medal tally. Myanmar sent 120 athletes to the ninth games hosted by Malaysia in 2017 and won 43 medals including 11 golds and the sixth place in the final medal tally. It was found that Myanmar athletes won victories in the games and the tenth games scheduled to be hosted by the Philippines in 2019 was cancelled.
According to the records, it was found that Myanmar athletes with disabilities were capable of improving the image of the country despite their disabilities.In the recent eleventh games, Myanmar sent a total of 113 members including 69 athletes in seven kinds of sports together with 40 managers/coaches, four umpires and referees and won 43 medals including 14 golds, 12 silvers, 17 bronzes and the sixth place among 11 participating countries.
Among the seven sports contested, track and field events and swimming won 14 golds, track and field events, swimming and weight lifting won 12 silvers and track and field events, swimming, weight lifting, archery and soccer won 17 bronzes.
It was also found that silver medal winners were able to participate in the finals and tried their best for the country although they failed to win golds. As winning medals for the country amounts to improving the image of the country through sports and the athletes
are ones who won achievements that are honoured by flying the national flag of motherland Myanmar and playing the national anthem in the international community by winning medals in international sports events, they are being honoured as they deserve. Efforts, perseverance and morale of Myanmar athletes who achieved international levels must be honoured and placed on record.Under the supervision of officials from the Myanmar Federation of Persons with Disabilities, all disabled athletes participated in the event within the framework of rules, laws and disciplines and with a full and fair sporting spirit tried to acquire gold, silver and bronze medals. So, they are praiseworthy and recorded in an honorary way.
As State recognition of thier hard work, Ks-200,000 and US$- 200 were awarded to each of the athletes and US$-100 to each of the managers and coaches before the event. Moreover, after the event, gold medalists were awarded US$-1,000 each, silver medalists US$-700 each and bronze medalists US$-500 each. For those who got bronze medalists in teams, each of the team members were awarded US$-300.
At this honorary event also, as promised, gold medalists will be awarded Ks-30 million each, silver medalists Ks-20 million each, bronze medalists Ks-10 million, each member of gold medalist teams Ks-10 million, each member of silver medalist teams Ks-7 million and each member of bronze medalist teams Ks-3.5 million, coaches who helped achieve gold medals Ks-10 million each, coaches who helped achieve silver medals Ks-5 million each, coaches who helped achieve bronze medals Ks-3 million each, managerial teams who helped achieve gold medals Ks-10 million each, managerial teams who helped achieved silver medals Ks-5 million each, managerial teams who helped achieve bronze medals Ks-3 million each with a total of Ks-1,006 million. I believer that such awards will motivate all those concerned.
Repaying gratitude to the entrepreneurs who rendered help and the president, vice presidents and officials of the Myanmar Federation of Persons with Disabilities, apart from the State and the people, the State-honoured medalists are urged to continue their efforts and hard work plus thier perseverance and spirit to follow the rules and disciplines and with an unyielding spirit so that they can achieve greater success. Particularly, they are made continued efforts to acquire medalists as well as country-wise ranks in the 12th event to be held in Cambodia from 3 to 9 June in 2023, the Senior General said.
Later, Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs explained Myanmar’s participation in the 11th event. Afterwards, in presenting rewards to the medal winning athletes, coaches and managers, the Senior General presented the awards to Second Corporal Soe Pay, who won two gold medal in 100-metre and 200-metre events of track and field and silver medal in 400-metre team relay event, Ma Htet Htet Aye two gold medals in discus and shot put events and bronze in javelin throw, Maung Aung Myint Myat two goals in 200-metre freestyle and 100-metre of backstroke events of swimming competition, Maung Aung Phone Myat two gold medals in discus and shot put, Warrant Officer Kyaw Kyaw Win gold in 400-metre, silver in 400-metre relay and bronze in 200-metre of track and field, Second Corporal Zaw Min Lwin gold in discus and silver in shot put, Maung Aung Phone gold and silver in 50-metre breaststroke and 50-metre freestyle events of swimming, Maung Kyaw Htoo gold and silver in 50-metre backstrokeand butterfly events, Corporal Tin Nyo gold in javelin throw and silver in discus events of track and field, and Maung Nanda Soe Min gold in 100-metre breaststroke event of swimming.
Then, the Vice-Senior General presented rewards to Ma Lawla Win, who won two silver medals in 100-metre and long jump events of track and field,Ma Nyein Sandar Aung two silvers in weightlifting, Second Corporal Aung Tun Lin silver in discus and two bronze medals in javelin throw and shot put events, Second Corporal Soe Than silver in javelin throw and bronze in high jump, and Ma Nanda Lin silver in 100-metre and bronze in 400-metre of track and field.
Members of SAC General Mya Tun Oo, General Tin Aung San, Mahn Nyein Maung, Daw Aye Nu Sein, Jang Phang NawTaung, U Moung Har, U Sai Lone Hsai and Saw Daniel also presented rewards to the medal winning athletes, managers and coaches who brought honor to the State.
Later, on behalf of the athletes, Second Corporal Soe Pay thanked for the rewards saying the athletes carried out training exercises constantly under the guidelines by officials, managers and coaches of Myanmar Paralympic Sports Federation and as a result, the athletes beat opponents from other countries.
For all the athletes, he thanked the Senior General and officials who presented the rewards and said they will keep proving the efforts and performance of the athletes with disabilities through winning more medals in the Paralympic sports events to come presenting the nation.Afterwards, the Senior General and party cordially greeted the athletes and coaches and served them with tea.