THE “little people” – midgets, dwarves or whatever you may call them – will get to share the spotlight for the first time in the National Para Games scheduled from Nov. 11 to 15 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
“Yes, the ‘little people’ will be among the athletes who will compete in the National Para Games in our effort to jumpstart our program in our search for the next generation of national para athletes,” Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo said yesterday during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the PSC conference room.
“Hindi sila nandun para katuwaan but to build our pool of athletes for international competitions since their physical impairment is included in the para program up to the Paralympic Games,” said national para athletics coach Joel Deriada.
“They will be competing in powerlifting, badminton and the throwing events in athletics,” Deriada added in the public sports program supported by San Miguel Corporation, PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, Smart/PLDT, Milo, and the country’s 24/7 sports app Arena Plus.
He said they had discussed this aspect of the para sports program with some vertically-challenged groups in Caloocan and Davao.
PPC Secretary General Goody Custodio said around 900 athletes will compete in archery, athletics, badminton, boccia, chess, powerlifting, swimming, table tennis and wheelchair basketball.
“There will be a classification seminar on Nov. 7, Thursday, and then there will be a classification of all participants the next day before the opening on Nov. 11,” Custodio said.
Barredo said all the athletes in the national para training pool are required to compete in the National Para Games last held in 2019 in Malolos, Bulacan.
“We had wanted to add more events but were forced to drop some for lack of accommodation. We earlier had wanted to conduct the meet in Marikina but were informed that the schools where the athletes would be quartered are no longer available,” Barredo.
Barredo said the National Para Games is the stepping stone in the ultimate dream of finally seeing a Filipino para athlete winning a gold medal in the Paralympic Games, possibly in the 2028 edition in Los Angeles.
