In a milestone for the Paralympic Movement in the region, the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Korea Institute of Sport Science (KISS) at a ceremony in Dubai on Monday.
The MoU, a strategic alliance between the organisations, will focus on specialised training programmes for Para athletes, research initiatives, sustainable collaboration between both the organisations and contribute to further growth – recognition and support – of Para sports in Asia.
The MoU will also have significance for Para athletes, particularly, in the UAE through KISS’s advanced sports science expertise.
The signing ceremony was attended by prominent names like Dubai Sports Council Secretary General H.E. Mr. Saeed Hareb, KISS President Mr. Song Kang Young and Asian Paralympic Committee President H.E. Mr. Majid Rashed among others.
“Today marks a milestone for entire Asian Paralympic fraternity. The APC’s vision is ‘to make for an inclusive Asia through Para-sport’ and a key part of our mission is ‘to support the NPCs to enable para-athletes to achieve sporting excellence from grassroot to elite level’,” Rashed said at the signing ceremony.
“Our Asian athletes have achieved elite level sporting excellence in major championships including the recent Paralympic Games in Paris, where they won so many medals and set new records. But sports science is one of the areas where Paralympic sports lag behind their Olympic counterparts. The signing of this MOU seeks to address this through specialised training programmes and research initiatives.”
Rashed further highlighted that Korea, as a nation, has been at the forefront of some of the most important initiatives that have helped the Paralympic Movement to grow into the global powerhouse that it is today.
“This MOU is yet another demonstration of Korea’s commitment to supporting the Paralympic Movement here in Asia. Thank you to the Institute and to everyone on the Korean Paralympic Committee that has made this happen.
“I’m convinced that this strategic alliance will significantly contribute to the growth and success of Paralympic sports in Asia,” he added.
KISS President Mr. Young spoke of the rich history of the institution and how sport science has played a significant role in the performance of the Korean Olympic and Paralympic teams over the years.
“It’s been 44 years that the Institution of Sport Science was established, and we have contributed in achieving success for our Olympic athletes from 1988 until Paris 2024. The sport science team is the main support behind the athletes at the Olympics – we have 47 doctors, around 26 staff and even around 100 invited doctors to co-operate and work together. Together we are working for the improvement of our athletes’ performance in Korea. The collaboration with APC will help us do significant work towards the development of the athletes and Paralympic Movement,” said Mr Young highlighting Koreá’s best ever show in the Paralympics at 1988 Seoul Games.
This is the second collaboration with Korean organisation after APC’s partnership with the Icheon Training Centre in the past.
