| Fadhil Yunus |
KHAIRUL Amzar bin Khalid and Syamsiah binti Takong will be flying the flag for Brunei Darussalam under Special Olympics Brunei Darussalam (SOBD) in the 6th TAFISA World Sports for All Games 2016 which will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from October 6 to 12.
The pair will be competing in the unified team bocce event whereby the athletes will be partnered up with another two athletes without disabilities namely Nabil bin Esa and Subinoorhayati Bibi.
The participating athletes will be accompanied by Board of Chairman of Special Olympics Brunei Darussalam Pengiran Haji Rambli bin Haji Bunut who is also head of delegation, Rachael Lee as the assistant head of delegation, head coach Suhaili bin Mohammad Yusoff and assistant coach Julainah Karim.
Head coach Suhaili from the Special Education Unit (UPK) said that while they aim to win gold they are looking forward to interact socially with other participants and gain experience from international meets.
Khairul Amzar will be competing in his first major competition outside of Brunei having impressed in the Special Olympics Asia Pacific on home soil last year while Syamsiah has garnered considerable experience such as prestigious events in Australia and Los Angeles.
Suhaili said that the pair’s biggest strengths lie in the singles and doubles category in bocce.
Other than experience, the evaluation of selecting athletes was based on performances from the Special Olympics Asia Pacific in which Khairul Amzar fits the bill having accumulated numerous gold medals.
SOBD participating athletes and the rest of the contingent in a group picture prior to departure.
However, Suhaili revealed that there are quite a number of athletes in the country which will be provided equal opportunities.
In Special Olympics, there are three agencies responsible namely the Special Education Unit, Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam and the Department of Community Development. The quota for athletes will be fairly distributed in terms of providing athletes’ opportunities.
“Bocce is one of the more popular sports in the Special Olympics other than football”, Suhaili said in an interview with the media prior to departure at the Brunei International Airport yesterday.
“It is easily understood and suitable for our special needs participants”, he added.
Themed ‘Unity in Diversity’, approximately 12,000 participants from 110 member countries will be involved in the meet which will be held under the patronage of UNESCO and IOC.
The world meet acknowledges the important role that traditional sports and games play in shaping civilizations and cultures, national identities and cross-boundaries unity.
SOBD stated in a press release that their mission in Brunei Darussalam is to give continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills and friendships with other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
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