Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali has said he is optimistic the XVI  National Paralympic Week (Peparnas) in Papua will aid the emergence of badminton athletes.

The badminton matches took place at the Cendrawasih Sports Center on Saturday.

“The matches of badminton at XVI Papua Peparnas are participated by many new athletes who are very excited to compete,” he said while reviewing the first day of the badminton competitions.

The athlete’s enthusiasm is extraordinary as they are encouraged by the success of Indonesian athletes, who won two gold, two silver, and two bronze medals at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, he added.

He admitted that, at first, he thought it would be a little difficult to scout athletes for the upcoming 2024 Paris Paralympics.

However, there are many rising players who have good quality, he remarked, adding he is optimistic about the development of sports for disabled people in Indonesia.

“Especially since the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) is very serious in preparing the athletes. We will motivate them to get ready for the Paralympics,” the minister said.

Earlier, he had said that XVI Papua Peparnas will serve as a platform to scout young athletes who will later be trained at the National Training Center (Pelatnas) in Solo city, Central Java province.

“Hopefully, there will be additional athletes who can qualify for the 2024 Paris Paralympics from the 12 sports contested in XVI Papua Peparnas,” he added.

A number of matches took place on the first day of the national sporting event on Saturday along with athletics and table tennis.

The XVI Papua Peparnas is being conducted in two clusters of Jayapura city and Jayapura district. At least 1,985 athletes from all provinces — except West Sulawesi — are participating in the event.

The event is featuring 12 sports comprising powerlifting, athletics, boccia, badminton, chess, judo, shooting, archery, swimming, cerebral palsy football, wheelchair court tennis, and table tennis.

Source: Antara News