APC General Assembly Asian Paralympic Committee 5 Biennial report P.O.Box: 38483 Sharjah, 5-6 February 2019 Tel. +971 65 561 222 Dubai, UAE www.asianparalympic.org [email protected]

Contents 1 Executive Summary ...... 4 2 Quarterly Summary: 2017 ...... 6 2.1 January- March ...... 6 2.1.1 West , UAE...... 6 2.1.2 Co-ordination Commission meeting Jakarta, ...... 6 2.2 April -June ...... 6 2.2.1 IWBF Oceania Zone Basketball Camp ...... 6 2.2.2 IPC Athletes’ Forum ...... 6 2.3 July - September ...... 7 2.3.1 APC Executive Board Meeting, Tokyo ...... 7 2.3.2 APC success in securing Agitos Foundation funding ...... 7 2.3.3 IPC General Assembly, Abu Dhabi, UAE ...... 8 2.4 October - December ...... 8 2.4.1 17th APC Executive Board meeting, Dubai ...... 8 2.4.2 New Staff Member ...... 9 2.4.3 3rd Asian Youth Para Games ...... 9 3 Quarterly Summary: 2018 ...... 10 3.1 January – March ...... 10 3.1.1 APC President met with OCA Counterpart ...... 10 3.1.2 APC support helps DPRK athletes secure bi-partite slots for PyeongChang 2018 .. 10 3.1.3 PyeongChang 2018 ...... 11 3.2 April – June ...... 11 3.2.1 New Staff members ...... 11 3.2.2 Chefs de Mission seminar and 5th Co-ordination Commission meeting...... 12 3.2.3 OCP Programme launch for West Asia ...... 12 3.2.4 APC tour ASEAN countries ...... 13 3.2.5 Indonesia 2018 Test events ...... 14 3.2.6 APC 18th Executive Board Meeting, Jakarta ...... 15 3.2.7 APC - CPISRA meeting ...... 15 3.3 July – September ...... 16 3.3.1 Paralympic Day ...... 16 3.3.2 APC Award Asian Order to President of ...... 17

5 Biennial report 2

3.3.3 APC visit to ...... 17 3.3.4 Final Co-ordination Commission meeting ahead of Indonesia 2018 ...... 18 3.3.5 APC President attends Asian Games ...... 18 3.3.6 OCP Educator’s Programme ...... 19 3.3.7 IPC Gathering Madrid ...... 19 3.4 October – December ...... 20 ...... 20 3.4.1 Unified Korea team ...... 20 3.4.2 APC Executive Board hold meeting, Jakarta ...... 20 3.4.3 Sub-regional representatives elected ...... 21 3.4.4 Athletes’ Committee representatives elected ...... 21 3.4.5 Indonesia 2018 ...... 22 3.4.6 APC and JADA partner at Indonesia 2018 ...... 24 3.4.7 APC and NSSU coaching workshop ...... 25 4 Looking ahead 2019 ...... 25 4.1.1 New Board and Standing Committees ...... 25 4.1.2 2022 ...... 25 4.1.3 Asian Youth Para Games ...... 25

5 Biennial report 3

1 Executive Summary Since we last gathered together in Bangkok in November 2016, a lot has happened to strengthen the Paralympic Movement in Asia and I’m pleased to say that the Asian Paralympic Commmittee’s work has been an integral part of this. You will find a more in-depth summary of that work over the following pages but I wanted to highlight some of the key progress that we have made in relation to the five goals identified in the Strategic Plan: 1. Sustainable organisation ▪ We have reviewed the 2015 – 2018 Strategic Plan and developed a new plan for 2019 – 2022 with key performance indicators. ▪ We continue to review and revise core documents to ensure alignment with IPC and best practice for APC. ▪ We have established a new headquarters in Dubai following an official decree from the UAE Government, with commitment from the Dubai Authorities and supported by NPC UAE. These headquarters are in the Dubai Club for People of Determination compound and are in an appropriate sporting setting. ▪ We have recruited additional new staff for the APC, enabling us to be more self-sufficient and increasing our capacity to deliver for the membership.

2. Partnership ▪ We have worked hard at developing relationships with our member nations, meeting at key events such as the 2017 , the Indonesia and the IPC General Assembly. In addition, CEO Tarek Souei and I have visited a number of NPCs in their home countries. In these meetings we have further understood the issues facing the development of parasport within the region and got a clearer picture about the support needed. ▪ We have further developed our strong relationship with the Agitos Foundation and have supported the delivery of workshops, the Organisational Capacity Programme and the Proud Paralympian Programme. ▪ We have worked with key outreach programmes to promote and improve knowledge about anti-doping. ▪ We have played an active part in supporting our membership to attend key meetings such as the IPC/APC General Assembly and regional Games through solidarity programmes.

3. Competition structures & athlete pathways

▪ We gave financial support to enable participation in camps for winter para-athletes and also women’s wheelchair basketball. ▪ We supported the delivery of the Proud Paralympian programme at both regional Games.

5 Biennial report 4

4. Asian Para Games concept & management • We staged the two regional Games, Asian Youth Para Games and Asian Para Games, both of which were the largest to date. • We have confirmed Hangzhou as the next Host City for the in China and have drawn up a thorough process to identify the sports. • We are in active discussions with future Host Cities and are working hard to develop closer co-operation with OCA. 5. Promotional strategy ▪ We are re-launching the APC website to include a members’ portal to aid smooth communication with the membership ▪ We worked hard during the PyeongChang 2018 to amplify the messages about Asian athlete successes. ▪ We are continuously seeking to raise awareness of the Paralympic movement in Asia and to unify our region by sharing stories from our member nations. It has been a very busy two years for the APC since the last General Assembly with many challenges but also many accomplishments. There is a real sense of momentum in the Asian region as well a renewed sense of unity. I believe that we are progressing in our joint ambition of making Asia a leading Paralympic region. This next year will see the new APC Board work hard to deliver this goal. We will launch a new strategic plan, continue to drive progress on Hangzhou 2022 and begin the search for a host of the next Asian Youth Para Games. With Tokyo 2020 on the horizon too, this will be a busy time for all our NPC members. We are there to support you in your efforts and thank you for all your support with ours. Together we are stronger. Yours in sport,

President Majid Rashed

5 Biennial report 5

2 Quarterly Summary: 2017 2.1 January- March 2.1.1 , UAE The first West Asian Para Games were hosted by the UAE. All NPCs from the West Asian Sub-region were invited to attend and compete in five sports (Athletics, , Goalball, Table Tennis and Wheelchair Basketball) across Sharjah’s three East Coast cities, providing valuable competition opportunities for para-athletes in this sub-region. The APC President and members of the Executive attended to support the event. 2.1.2 Co-ordination Commission meeting Jakarta, Indonesia A delegation from the APC, including Mr Manabu Aso (Chair of APC Games Liaison Committee), Tarek Souei (APC CEO), Claire Magras (APC Relations & Services Senior Manager), Shaun Lee (APC Sport Manager) and Ryan Montgomery (IPC Summer Sport Director) travelled to Jakarta for a Co-ordination Commission meeting. They met with His Excellency Imam Nahrawi, the Minister of Youth and Sports and who confirmed the key appointment of Chair of the Local Organising Committee. Raja Sapta Oktohari,, President of the Indonesian Cycling Federation,. The delegation also met with him and discussed the Games readiness. Following this a series of venue visits were made. 2.2 April -June 2.2.1 IWBF Asia Oceania Zone Basketball Camp We supported a women's wheelchair basketball dev elopment camp that was organised by the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Asia Oceania Zone (AOZ) in conjunction with the Agitos Foundation. The camp was held in Bangkok, with the aim of developing women’s wheelchair basketball and creating more national teams across Asia. The support from the APC helped to make the camp accessible for more participants. 2.2.2 IPC Athletes’ Forum The International Paralympic Committee held its first-ever Athlete’s Forum recently and Ho-Gyoung You, the Asian Paralympic Committee’s (APC) Athlete Commission Chairperson, attended. More

5 Biennial report 6

than 80 athletes from around 22 International Federations (IFs), 35 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) as well as representation from the WADA Athlete Commission and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athlete Commission, had an opportunity to interact directly with each other, as well with IPC representatives on various topics relating to the Paralympic Movement. 2.3 July - September 2.3.1 APC Executive Board Meeting, Tokyo We held our 16th Executive Board (EB) meeting in Tokyo. Here we met with Mr Suzuki, Commissioner of the Sports Agency and Mr Torihara, Chair of Japanese Paralympic Committee and heard from Mr Suzuki about the importance of the 2018 Asian Para Games in providing a strong link to Tokyo 2020 and helping to promote and diffuse the spirit of the Paralympic Games in the region. A tour of venues for Tokyo 2020 was also undertaken. The meeting also heard updates on the Dubai 2017 Asian Youth Para Games and the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games presented by Mr. Raja Sapta Oktohari, Chair of the Organising Committee with Mr Gatot S Dewa Broto, Secretary to the Minister for Youth and Sports. Together they outlined the progress that had been made on the project, including collaboration with the Asian Games Organising Committee and specifically venue accessibility which had been raised at the last Co- Com meeting in May. The meeting also saw and approved the logo design for the Games which reflects the diversity of the Games and discussed key dates in the lead up to the Games.

2.3.2 APC success in securing Agitos Foundation funding. The Asian Paralympic Committee was successful in securing funding as part of the Agitos Foundation2017 Grant Support Programme which enabled the Proud Paralympian programme to run during the 2017 Asian Para Youth Games. The Proud Paralympian activity aimed to create a cohort of young para-athletes who are positive ambassadors for the Paralympic movement in Asia through a combination of workshops and via an information hub. The athletes were educated so that they are better equipped and more motivated to have a successful career in the Paralympic movement and beyond. In addition, they gained a greater understanding of their role in supporting the wider societal impact the movement can have. The workshops were delivered by established para-athletes who were trained to be Proud Paralympian leaders and covered topics such as the history of the Paralympic movement, working with the media and how to combine a sporting career with day to day life.

5 Biennial report 7

2.3.3 IPC General Assembly, Abu Dhabi, UAE Three candidates from Asia were successfully elected to the IPC Gove rning Board; Yamasushi Yamawaki from Japan,Mohammed Alhameli from UAE and Sung Il Kim from Korea. NPC was formally welcomed to the Paralympic family when the GA ratified their membership. At the IPC Awards, two athletes from Asia were recognised for their achievements. Winner of the Best Male category was Powerlifter Siamand Rahman from who won following his performance at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games where he won gold and lifted an incredible 310kg.

The second athlete recognised was Iraqi wheelchair fencer Ammar Hadi Ali who was awarded the BP Courage Award. He was presented the award for his perseverance despite personal challenges and adversity that the Iraqi conflict brought. He won ’s first wheelchair fencing Paralympic medal at Rio 2016.

2.4 October - December 2.4.1 17th APC Executive Board meeting, Dubai The 17th Executive Board meeting was held in Dubai ahead of the Asian Youth Para Games. The main focus of the meeting was updates on the two regional Games that the APC was organising. Mr. Alaa Elharoun, NPC and IF Director of the 2017 Asian Youth Para Games Organising Committee presented on the final arrangements for the Youth Games which opened on the 10th December. The Chairman of the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games Mr. Raja Sapta Oktohari was accompanied by Mrs. Adiati Noerdin, who

5 Biennial report 8

works for the Indonesian Minister of Youth & Sports, and a large delegation from the Organising Committee INAPGOC. The delegation had held a twoday Co-ordination Commission with the APC in the lead up to the Executive Board meeting then Mr. Oktohari presented a summary to the APC Executive Board. He outlined progress made but, with the Games only 10 months away, also highlighted some areas of concern that exist due to administrative and bureaucratic delays. One of the main ones was ensuring the accessibility of the Athletes’ Village which needed several adjustments to make it suitable for para-athletes. On hearing this, President Rashed, who is a wheelchair user, stated that he himself would stay in the Village during the Games and urged Mr. Oktohari to use this information to galvanise his government into action to ensure that all the accessibility upgrades were implemented.

2.4.2 New Staff Member

Mr Rob Atchison joined the APC as Relations and Services Manager to replace Claire Magras.

2.4.3 3rd Asian Youth Para Games

800 young athletes from 30 countries are gathered in Dubai to take part in the third Asian Youth Para Games which th took place from 10-13 December. The event was being organised with the support of the APC in conjunction with the UAE NPC and the Dubai Club for People of Determination whose sports facilities also hosted the majority of events. The athletes, all under 20 years of age, competed in 7 sports; Para-Athletics, Para- Swimming, Boccia, Goalball, Para-Badminton, Powerlifting and Table Tennis. Japan topped the medal table with 43 Gold medals, followed by Iran then China. In total 21 of the 30 nations won a medal. The Games were shown on Dubai Sport TV and also on the IPC website.

5 Biennial report 9

3 Quarterly Summary: 2018

3.1 January – March 3.1.1 APC President met with OCA Counterpart APC President Majid Rashed met with his counterpart, His Excellency Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al- in in January and discussed forging closer working ties between the two organisations. One of the main topics for discussion was the Asian Games and Asian Para Games which were both due be held in Indonesia later that year. Whilst the Asian Games is well established and has been a regular event since 1951, the Asian Para Games is still in its infancy and the Games in Indonesia were only be the third edition organised under the umbrella of the APC. Both parties discussed strengthening the relationship between the two organisations and co-operating on the preparations and delivery of future Games. Further discussions were held about strategies to support athletes both with and without impairments across Asia and how to capitalise on the next three Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place in the region.

3.1.2 APC support helps DPRK athletes secure bi-partite slots for PyeongChang 2018. The Asian Paralympic Committee welcomed the news that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) invited the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of to participate in its first Paralympic Winter Games and offered two bipartite slots to athletes to compete in Para Nordic skiing at PyeongChang 2018. Funding from the APC and the Agitos Foundation enabled the two athletes to make their international debuts at January’s World Cup in Oberried, Germany. Jonghyon Kim and Yuchol Ma received bipartite slots from the IPC and World Para Nordic Skiing

5 Biennial report 10

3.1.3 PyeongChang 2018

The largest ever number of athletes from Asian countries competed at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. Japan had their best ever result, winning four more medals than in Sochi 2014. Notable other firsts were athletes from DPRK competing for the first time at a , China winning their first medal (Gold in Wheelchair Curling) and both Kazakhstan and Korea winning their first Gold medals at a winter Games. This bodes well for Beijing 2022 where we hope an even larger cohort from Asia to participate.

3.2 April – June

3.2.1 New Staff members

The APC bolstered its staff through the recruitment of Mr Alaa Omar Elharoun (Chief of Staff), Mr Obaid Ur Rahman (IT Manager), Ms Hanadi Albalushi (Protocol and Events Manager) Ms Priyanka Sharma (Media and Communications co-ordinator) and Mr Deril Lobo (Finance Manager)

5 Biennial report 11

3.2.2 Chefs de Mission seminar and 5th Co-ordination Commission meeting

With the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games just under 6 months away, two crucial meetings took place in April in Jakarta. In the first, delegates from NPCs across Asia gathered for the Chefs de Mission Seminar where over two days they heard updates from the various functional areas of the organising committee, INAPGOC, and visited the sport venues and the Athlete Village. Following this, during the Co-Comm meeting INAPGOC provided further updates to the APC Executive staff on all aspects of Games delivery including IT, Broadcast, Accreditation, Transportation, Media and PR and Ceremonies.

3.2.3 OCP Programme launch for West Asia

The APC supported the Agitos Foundation to launch of the Organisational Capacity Programme (OCP) to eight National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) from West Asia in Dubai. The programme is aimed to help and guide NPCs in terms of athlete development, governance, awareness and leadership as part of the NPC Development Programme, an initiative supported by the IPC’s Worldwide Paralympic Partnership with Toyota, which aims to build capacity within National Paralympic Committees around the world.

5 Biennial report 12

3.2.4 APC tour ASEAN countries

A delegation from the APC visited Thailand, and on a tour to learn more about the development of para-sport in these countries and the challenges that the National Paralympic Committees there face. The first stop on the tour was in Thailand. Here APC President Majid Rashed, who was accompanied by APC CEO Tarek Souei, first met with the President of the ASEAN Para Sports Federation (APSF), Major General Osoth Bhavilai to discuss how the two organisations can work more closely together and how the APC can support the APSF in their delivery of the ASEAN Para Games. Following this, the APC delegation met with the President of NPC Thailand, Mr Chutinant Bhirobhakdi. The delegation then visited Cambodia. Here they met with the Secretary General of the NPC Mr. Yi Veasna and visited their headquarters where approximately 60 athletes are permanently accommodated. Here the athletes train in Para-Archery, Goalball, Para-Volleyball, Boccia, Table Tennis and Shooting-Para-Sport. The Chair of the NPC is also the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, who himself has a partial visual impairment. The NPC is supported by various international organisations, including the Wheelchair Rugby International Federation and the NPC of the Republic of Korea. The final country on the tour was Laos. Here they first met with the Secretary General of NPC Laos, Mr. Sithat Chanthaboury and various members from the Ministry of Education and Sports. They received reports on the Para-Sport movement in Laos and inclusive education. They then went on to meet with the Director of the Centre for Medical Rehabilitation and Vice President of NPC Laos, Dr. Thongphet Sitthivanh who gave them a brief history of the Centre and the learnings made through treating people who had become impaired through bombings.

5 Biennial report 13

They also visited the offices of ADDP (Asian Development with the Disabled Persons), a Japanese NGO and met with Mme Tomiko Maejima, ADDP President. Here they discussed the current challenges for the para-sport movement from the viewpoint of both the NPC and ADDP. They then visited the COPE centre in Ventiane to learn about their work supplying an average of 1000 prosthesis a year to people living with impairment in Laos, including many injured from unexploded ordnance left after from the war. The delegation then met with the President of NPC Laos, Mr. Boualan Siripanya and key stakeholders to discuss the findings from the trip. The visit concluded with a dinner hosted by Mrs. Sengdeuane Lachanthaboune, the Minister of Education and Sports who is also the Chair of the National Paralympic Committee and National Olympic Committee in Laos.

3.2.5 Indonesia 2018 Test events

Three months ahead of the Asian Para Games 2018, INAPGOC, held a test event—Indonesia Para Games Invitational Tournament. This invitational event was organised to test Indonesia’s readiness to host the 2018 Asian Para Games, in terms of infrastructure, human resources, as well as other supporting elements, The APC Executive team were there to observe, support and guide the organising committee in the events which were held in five sports: para athletics, para badminton, para swimming, para table tennis and wheelchair basketball. Learnings from these events were taken forward into the final Co-ordination Commission meeting in August.

5 Biennial report 14

3.2.6 APC 18th Executive Board Meeting, Jakarta

The Asian Paralympic Committee held their 18th Executive Board meeting on June 28 and 29 in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital The meeting heard updates on the new Strategic Plan (2019- 2021), Standing Committees Reports and the General Assembly 2019, where elections for a new Executive Board will take place. Finally, they were briefed on the progress of the Asian Para Games by Chair of the Organising Committee Raja Septa Oktohari. The Board also approved the inclusion of Road Race Para Cycling in the Jakarta Games, based on the INAPGOC proposal and the interest shown by several countries.

3.2.7 APC - CPISRA meeting

Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) president Peter Drysdale met with APC President Majid Rashed at the APC headquarters in Dubai and sought APC’s co-operation to promote CP sports in the region. This led to an MOU being signed between the two organisations during the CP-ISRA General Assembly and in Spain in August. Drysdale was on a two-day visit to the UAE and was accompanied by APC vice-president Rajesh Tomar at the meeting which was also attended by APC CEO Tarek Souei. The visit was aimed at learning about awareness and development of CP , and how APC can support CPISRA promote the athletes and CP sport in the region. Impressed with the growth of APC

5 Biennial report 15

under the presidency of Mr. Rashed, Drysdale also wanted the Asian body to help open pathways for holding major events together in future.

3.3 July – September

3.3.1 Hong Kong Paralympic Day APC President Majid Rashed travelled to Hong Kong to help the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (HKPC&SAPD) celebrate the second Hong Kong Paralympic Day on July 8 at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, which also coincided with the 90-days-to-go countdown for the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games. The celebration, which attracted over 1,200 participants taking part in various para sports, was also attended by International Paralympic Committee (IPC) CEO Mr. Xavier Gonzalez, the Hon Mrs. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive and Mr. Lau Kong-wah, Secretary for Home Affairs. Korea Paralympic Committee president Mr. Lee Myung-ho, Mrs. Jenny Fung, HKPC&SAPD President, and Dr. James Lam, Chairman were among the other attendees.

5 Biennial report 16

The guests also took the opportunity to try-out and play boccia, badminton and table tennis with Ms. Amy Chan, former Hong Kong badminton representative, Ms. Ng On Yee, billiards sport athlete and para sports athletes.

3.3.2 APC Award Asian Order to President of Kazakhstan

The Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) President Majid Rashed, presented the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev with the Asian Order of Honour in recognition of his support for the Paralympic movement in Kazakhstan. The award was made at a ceremony to mark the opening of a new 5,000 sq. M. Paralympic Training Centre in Astana.

3.3.3 APC visit to China

A delegation from Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) visited the Chinese cities of Beijing and Hangzhou, which are gearing up to host the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games and the 2022 Asian Para Games, respectively, and oversaw the preparations and training facilities of the athletes in the region. The first stop on the tour was Beijing, where President Majid Rashed met with Ms. Haidi Zhang, Chairperson of China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF) and offered gratitude for her support and co-ordination with the Hangzhou government for APC’s visit and her help towards preparation of the 2022 Asian Para Games. The delegation thereafter visited

5 Biennial report 17

Hangzhou, the capital of province in East China, where they met with the Governor Mr. Yuan Jiajun, Mr. Xu Liyi, Mayor of Hangzhou city, Wanghon, the Vice Mayor and Zhang Wenjing, Chairman of Hangzhou Disabled Federation. Ms. Zhao Su-jing, Director of Sport CDPF and Secretary General of China NPC, accompanied the APC delegation and offered her support during their stay in the country.

3.3.4 Final Co-ordination Commission meeting ahead of Indonesia 2018

The APC met with the organising committee of the INAPGOC in Jakarta on 3rd and 4th August for the final co- ordination commission meeting ahea d of the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games. In a packed two days, APC heard updates from all the functional areas including marketing, broadcast, transport, ceremonies and sport and gave their guidance on what final preparations were due to take place over the final 62 days.

3.3.5 APC President attends Asian Games

President Majid Rashed attended the Asian Games as a guest of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the first time that this has happened. OCA President H.E. Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah issued the invitation to Rashed and key APC personnel. He met with them on Monday August 20th to welcome them to Jakarta. He encouraged them to make the most of the opportunity to view

5 Biennial report 18

the venues and operational set up of the Asian Games in order to help the preparations for the Asian Para Games.

3.3.6 OCP Educator’s Programme

The APC supported the Agitos Foundation in the delivery of the OCP 1 Educators Programme In preparation for the OCP 1 training workshop with South Asian NPCs in November in , The programme was aimed at teaching the educators from the Agitos Foundation and Asian NPC members to develop their delivering skills, assist the NPCs going through the OCP and implement it in their respective nations. Furthermore, representatives of the Asian Paralympic Committee (from Japan and UAE), Paralympic Committee India and Agitos Foundation staff learnt about the three OCP focus areas – Athlete Development, Marketing and Communication and Governance and Planning. 3.3.7 IPC Gathering Madrid The APC President and CEO attended the IPC Gathering in Madrid. This provided an opportunity to represent the region and have input into the IPC Strategic Review. The regional Presidents also had a side meeting about the governance and future of the regional organisations. This will be followed up with a further meeting on February 7 2019.

5 Biennial report 19

3.4 October – December

3.4.1 Unified Korea team

The APC announced that the Republic of Korea (KOR) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) would march together at the Indonesia Asian Para Games. This was to be the first time that the two nations have marched together at a para-sport event. In addition, it was announced that once the sport begins, the nations would also join forces to compete as a unified team (COR) in three events; one in swimming and two in table tennis.

3.4.2 APC Executive Board hold meeting, Jakarta

The Executive Board held their 19th Executive Board meeting in Jakarta ahead of the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games. This was the penultimate meeting of the current APC Executive Board before the elections at the APC General Assembly in February 2019. The Chairman of the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games Mr. Raja Sapta Oktohari presented a summary of recent activity, including the successful torch relay that culminated in Jakarta on 30 September and that an estimated 1 million people had viewed on its journey around Indonesia. He outlined his ambition to make these Games 'the best Asian Games ever' and proclaimed that whilst the staging the Games had been hard work 'the smile of the participants is my biggest payment'. The APC Executive Board, led by President Majid Rashed, thanked Oktohari and his team for all their efforts. In other business, the meeting received updates on the General Assembly which will

5 Biennial report 20

be held in Dubai in February 2019 and progress reports from the various standing committees and regional sub committees.

3.4.3 Sub-regional representatives elected

The APC oversaw the election of the five sub- regional representatives that will represent their respective region on the APC Executive Board from 2019 – 2022. The representatives were elected by their respective sub-regions following a process that commenced at the start of the summer. Their role is to co-ordinate activities and report on developments in their sub-region to the APC Executive Board. The successful candidates were as follows:

East Asia : Mr. Aso Manabu (JPN) : Mr. Rustam Babayev (KAZ) West Asia : Mr. Abdelrazzaq Banirasheed (UAE) : Mr. Imran Shami (PAK) South : Mr. Michael Barredo (PHI)

3.4.4 Athletes’ Committee representatives elected

The APC oversaw the election of the five members of the APC’s Athletes’ Committee that will serve until 2022. The elections took place during the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games and saw the largest ever turnout of voters at an Athlete Committee election. The candidates elected were as follows:

Jeong Min LEE (KOR) Cross country skiing/biathlon and rowing

5 Biennial report 21

Junichi KAWAI (JPN) Para swimming Nur Syahidah ALIM (SIN) Archery Siham Masoud Muhail ALRASHEEDY (UAE) Para Athletics Tanzhang WHANG (CHN) Para Athletics

3.4.5 Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games

5 Biennial report 22

The APC delivered the most successful Asian Para Games to date. The Games were the first time all 43-member nations have competed; the first time Bhutan have attended; the first time Laos and Timor Leste have won a medal; the first Gold medals for the and Kuwait; and the first time the Unified Korean Team have marched and competed together at a para- sport event. China topped the medal table with a remarkable 172 gold medals, followed by , Iran and Japan. The APC activated a strong solidarity programme for these games enabling all 43 nations to take part. In addition, and attended the games in a different capacity as preparation for their future participation once they become full members of the Movement.

5 Biennial report 23

3.4.6 APC and JADA partner at Indonesia 2018

The APC and the Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA) partnered up to raise awareness of clean sport and promote the value of sport to the athletes and athlete support personnel during the 2018 Asian Para Games. An outreach booth was set up by the APC with the support of JADA at Athlete Village for 5 days during the competition and more than 700 athletes and officials enjoyed the programme. The APC and the members from Lembaga Anti-Doping Indonesi a (LADI), plus an athlete role model, K.C.Deepak, President of Para Table Tennis and took part in the "PLAY TRUE Torch Relay" and activated the "clean sport" programmes.

5 Biennial report 24

3.4.7 APC and NSSU coaching workshop

The APC supported the Nippon Sport Science University (NSSU) to hold its second coaching workshop in Jakarta, during the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games.14 coaches and NPC officials from , Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives and Nepal attended the workshop, which had two objectives: for delegates to Identify their own personal or organisational challenges relating to participating in the Tokyo 20 20 Paralympic Games and then to identify the key steps to overcome those challenges.

4 Looking ahead 2019

4.1.1 New Board and Standing Committees

The new APC Board will be elected during the GA in Dubai. One of their first tasks will be to appoint the Chairs of the Standing Committees and review their terms of reference.

4.1.2 Hangzhou 2022

We have set a deadline of 31 December 2018 for IFs to register their interest in being part of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games. The decision on the sport programme will be made by first half of 2019 thus enabling our NPC members to plan much earlier that in the last Asian Para Games cycle.

4.1.3 Asian Youth Para Games

We have issued tender documents for the next edition of the Asian Youth Para Games with a view to having a confirmed host city by the end of 2019

5 Biennial report 25