PH staging of Paralympics officially called off

With the threat of the deadly coronavirus disease still unchecked, the Asean Para Sports Federation (APSF) has called off the Philippine staging of the 10th edition of the Games for good to assure the safety of all para athletes, coaches and officials from the 11 Southeast Asian member countries.

“In light of the decision of the PSC from the Republic of the Philippines, I would like to state that the 10th Asean Para Games would be canceled officially,’’ said APSF president Maj. Gen. Osoth Bhavilai in a letter to the top officials of the national paralympic committees from the 11 countries.

“Nevertheless, the APSF would like to thank the Philippines for all efforts taken prior to the Games for the preparation. We appreciate why such a decision needs to be made,’’ Bhavilai added.

Bhavilai came up with the announcement just days after the Philippine Sports Commission said that sports activities for the rest of the year have been shelved due to the pandemic.

Filipino para athletes, though, will continue to get government support. INQ