Para-athletes hope to give back to community

KUALA LUMPUR: Para-athletes with the Community Based Rehabilitation Centres (PDK) share a new year resolution of winning more international medals, but some want to give back to the disabled community as teachers, too.

 Lawn bowler Mohd Yusri Hafiz, 22, said he wanted to repeat the success of his team, which grabbed the gold medal against the Korean delegate in an international paralympic meet in May last year.

“While I want to do better in sports, this year I also want to be a better teacher,” said Mohd Yusri, who teaches life skills to teenagers with disabilities at the PDK. He said that while sports was something he could excel at in his youth, he felt that it would be better to focus on his career in teaching in the long run.

New Year cheer: PDK vice-chairman Mohd Yusof Tawil (left) sharing food
and stories with (from left) Azrul Azri Roslan, Mohd Yusri and Shamil Amzar
at the New Year Open House at the PWTC.

“Lawn bowling takes a lot of patience and it teaches a person a lot about discipline as well as communicating with teammates,” he said. Mohd Yusri, who was born with a defect to his left leg, said he lived by the motto “do it yourself and do your best” and didn't see his disability as something that could stop him from pursuing what he wanted in life.

 IT teacher Shamil Amzar Hessam, 25, who had been teaching at the PDK since 2010, said seeing the accomplishments of other para-athletes had inspired him to take a shot at archery. New Year cheer: PDK vice-chairman Mohd Yusof Tawil (left) sharing food and stories with (from left) Azrul Azri Roslan, Mohd Yusri and Shamil Amzar at the New Year Open House at the PWTC.

Shamil Amzar said he joined the PDK in secondary school for rehabilitation classes, but came back as a teacher to “return the favour” after graduating with a computer science degree.

 The para-athletes were among the thousands who came to the New Year Open House celebration at the PWTC yesterday. The open house was jointly organised by the People's Progressive Party (PPP) and the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry.

 Those attending included Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim and his deputy Datuk Maglin Dennis D'Cruz, PPP president Datuk Seri M. Kayveas and MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel. Muhyiddin and the other leaders also gave cash aid to the disadvantaged, old folks and less fortunate at the event.