New direction: disability sport in Malaysia

Abstract

Disability sport in Malaysia has a short history, not much of it has been documented and there remains little published research. This article touches in brief upon the development of disability sport in Malaysia within the context of the broader disability movement. Positive trends and persistent challenges for persons with disabilities within both sport and society are highlighted, as are new directions for future research. These are drawn from interviews of key Malaysian disability sport figures, as well as from recent qualitative data regarding the challenges and barriers faced by high performance athletes in Malaysia.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to express appreciation for the invaluable information provided in personal interviews by the following: Shamsiah Abdul Rahman, former Advisor to the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Radha Krishnan, the General Manager of the Malaysian Paralympic Council, Azahari Abdullah, Committee Member of the Little People Welfare Association of Malaysia, Joseph Lau, Chairman of Special Olympics Malaysia and Naziaty Mohd Yaacob, Senior Lecturer, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, at the University of Malaya.

Notes

¹ Department of Statistics, http://www.statistics.gov.my; Monthly Statistical Bulletin Malaysia, 9.

² Takamine, ‘Disability Issues in East Asia’, 9. In Malaysia, the number of persons with disabilities per household was not asked in the last population census in 2000. The question was asked in the 2010 census so there would be more accurate statistics on the number of persons with disabilities in Malaysia.

³ Official website of the Depatrtment of Social Welfare of Malaysia, http://www.jkm.gov.my.

⁴ Shamsiah Abdul Rahman, in discussion with author, May 25, 2009.

⁵ Government of Malaysia, Laws of Malaysia Act 865, 9.

⁶ Yee, ‘Rights of Disabled People To Be Taken Care Of’.

⁷ Gilson and Depoy, ‘Multiculturalism and Disability’, 212.

⁸ Official website of the Depatrtment of Social Welfare of Malaysia, http://www.jkm.gov.my.

⁹ Department of Social Welfare, National Social Welfare Policy, 3–4.

¹⁰ Ismail, ‘Country Paper’. Paper presented at Expert Group Meeting and Seminar on an International Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities.

¹¹ Government of Malaysia, Laws of Malaysia Act 865, 7.

¹² Yue, ‘Falling Short’. The Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group is a collation of 18 disability groups that has lobbied extensively for accessible transportation and inclusiveness in all aspects of society including sport.

¹³ Government of Malaysia, Laws of Malaysia Act 865, 26.

¹⁴ Ministry of Youth and Sports, National Sports Policy 1988, 5, 10.

¹⁵ Radha Krishnan, in discussion with author, May 25, 2009.

¹⁶ Radha Krishnan, in discussion with author, May 25, 2009 Malaysians who win a gold medal at the Olympic Games will receive RM 1 million (approximately US$303,030), whereas gold medallists at the Parlaympic Games receive RM 300,000 (US$90,909). A silver medallist at the Olympics will receive RM 300,000, whereas a silver medallist at the Paralympics will receive RM 200,000 (US$60,606). A bronze medallist at the Olympics will receive RM 200,000, which is double that received by the bronze medallist at the Paralympics. In addition, only Olympic athletes receive a pension.

¹⁷ Khoo, ‘Paralympic Organizations’, 154. The Malaysian Sports Council for the Disabled, a non-profit organization, was established on May 18, 1989, and renamed the Malaysian Paralympic Council in 1996.

¹⁸ Khoo, ‘Paralympic Organizations’, 154. The Malaysian Sports Council for the Disabled, a non-profit organization, was established on May 18, 1989, and renamed the Malaysian Paralympic Council in 1996 Medical classifiers have been trained in wheelchair basketball, badminton, tenpin bowling and powerlifting, and accredited technical officials for athletics, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, goalball, powerlifting, boccia, lawn bowls, archery and volleyball.

¹⁹ Khoo, ‘Paralympic Organizations’, 154. The Malaysian Sports Council for the Disabled, a non-profit organization, was established on May 18, 1989, and renamed the Malaysian Paralympic Council in 1996 The competition was originally called the National Sport for the Disabled. The name was changed to the Malaysian Paralympiad in 1998.

²⁰ FESPIC Federation, FESPIC Federation. The FESPIC Games were the largest competition for athletes with a disability in Asia and Oceania and the second largest after the Paralympic Games. The Games followed a four-year cycle and was held in the even years that alternate with the Olympic Games.

²¹ Malaysian Paralympic Council, Participation in International Sports Competitions, 2.