Young Athletes Programme good platform for young children with intellectual disabilities, says Fatimah

KUCHING (July 13): The Young Athletes Programme organised by the Special Olympics Kuching Chapter is a good platform to promote physical fitness, skill development, and inclusive sports among young children with intellectual disabilities, said Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.

The state Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister said the Special Olympics Kuching Chapter is also the first chapter in Malaysia to organise such programme for the young disabled athletes aged from three to eight years old.

“I hope that the other Special Olympics chapters like Miri, Bintulu and Sibu will also host the same program because this program is very beneficial to our children and also to ourselves as a mother and a father to our special children.

“I would also like to thank our Kuch­ing City South Mayor (Dato Wee Hong Seng). He said that this is the third programme (organised in Kuching),” she said when officiating at the Young Athletes Programme at Kuching City South Council (MBKS) Foyer today (July 13).

She also said this programme can contribute to the initiative that is being run by MBKS to become a child-friendly city (CFC) recognized by the United Nations Children Fund (Unicef).

“God willing, MBKS will be one of the first ones (in Sarawak) from the five major local councils in Sarawak that are now in the process of becoming a child-friendly initiative city. The others are Sibu, Kuching North, Miri, Bintulu, and Samarahan,” sje said.

She said this is in line with the Sarawak government’s desire to ensure social inclusivity as Sarawak aims to achieve high income and developed status by 2030.