Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
Asian Para sport must reach more communities and provide greater opportunities for people with disabilities, Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) President Majid Rashed said ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games in Japan.
The Games, which begin on Saturday and run until October 24, will bring together around 2,700 athletes from 45 National Paralympic Committees across 18 sports, providing a platform to showcase the progress of Para sport across the continent.
Rashed, an Emirati administrator who has spent more than three decades in Para sport as an athlete and administrator, said the focus must increasingly be on sporting performances, while addressing inequalities in access to coaching, facilities and competition.
“What I want people to see in Japan is not disability first, but elite sport. These athletes have earned the right to be recognised for their performances,” he said in an interview.
He said Asian athletes were now winning Paralympic and world titles and setting world records, but the development of Para sport remained uneven across the continent.
“Some countries have sophisticated systems while others are still trying to identify athletes and provide basic access to coaching and competition. Our responsibility is to narrow that gap,” said the administrator who is in his third term at the helm..
He stressed the need to expand grassroots programmes and reach children and young people with disabilities who might not know that sport is an option for them.
“You cannot develop an athlete you never find. We must reach communities where children and young people with disabilities may not even know that sport is an option for them,” he said.
Rashed also called for more consistent media coverage that gives Para athletes the same sporting analysis as their counterparts in other disciplines.
“Tell those stories, certainly, but also analyse their performances. Discuss tactics, rivalries, records and pressure in the same way we do in any other elite sport. When that happens consistently, Para sport will no longer need to ask for special attention,” he said.
His remarks come five years after Tokyo hosted the Paralympic Games, an event he said had changed perceptions of Para sport in Japan and across Asia. He said Aichi-Nagoya had an opportunity to build on that progress and leave a lasting legacy beyond medals.
“If the venues are accessible for two weeks and society goes back to being inaccessible afterwards, we have not achieved enough. The Games should leave behind greater accessibility, greater participation and a different understanding of what people with disabilities can contribute to society,” he said.
Rashed also visited the Athletes Plaza at Garden Pier in Nagoya in the buildup, meeting athletes and touring activities and exhibitions prepared for the event.
He said the competition would also help athletes assess their progress towards the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games, while offering an indication of the strength of Asian Para sport internationally.
For Rashed, however, success will also depend on whether the Games inspire wider participation across the continent.
“I would also like a young person with a disability watching somewhere in Asia to see these athletes and think, ‘There is a place for me in sport.’ If Aichi-Nagoya creates that opportunity for the next generation, that will be a legacy worth having,” he said.
