With only three months until the Asian Para Games 2018, Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games Organising Committee, INAPGOC, is gearing up to hold a test event—Indonesia Para Games Invitational Tournament—that will take place from June 27 to July 3 in Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta.
This invitational event is organised to test Indonesia’s readiness to host the 2018 Asian Para Games, scheduled for October 6 to 13, in terms of infrastructure, human resources, as well as other supporting elements, as explained by Sport Division Director Fanny Riawan.
“Through this test event we will push our athletes so they can formally compete in Asian Para Games by fulfilling the MQS (Minimum Qualification Score). We are also checking the readiness of the venues and support from all related divisions. Moreover, we want to leave something for the future by way of NTO course or national referee and jury training for participants from all over Indonesia,” said Riawan.
The Indonesia Para Games Invitational Tournament will feature five sports: para athletics, para badminton, para swimming, para table tennis and wheelchair basketball. Of these sports, table tennis will be the qualification ground for disabled athletes who are yet to qualify for the Asian Para Games 2018.
Table tennis has open tournament status and acknowledgement from International Para Table Tennis Federation (IPTTF). There are already 13 countries that have confirmed their participation in the Indonesia Para Games Invitational tournament table tennis event. Wheelchair basketball is also an invitational event, which will include Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia as the home team. The other three events will only include Indonesian athletes from various regions.
One important feature of the Invitational tournament is the allocation of classification categories to the athletes, which will be conducted by internationally certified classifiers. The classifications in this event will become a reference for Asian Para Games 2018 in October 6-13.
Below is the competition schedule for each sporting events at the Indonesia Para Games Invitational Tournament.
- Athletics: June 30 – July 1, Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium
- Badminton: June 27 – 28, Gelora Bung Karno Sports Palace (Istora)
- Swimming: July 1 -2, Gelora Bung Karno Aquatic Stadium
- Table Tennus: July 1 – 3, GBK Arena
- Wheelchair Basketball: July 1 – 2 Juli, Gelora Bung Karno Basketball Hall
