ONE FOR THE ALBUM: Fatimah (seated, third left) posing for a group photo with the course participants, facilitators and representatives from Special Olympics Sarawak.
KUCHING: About 50 participants took part in the two-day Special Olympics Community-level Coach course yesterday.
“This is a testimony that there are many Sarawakians who are concerned and willing to lend a helping hand to the disadvantaged group in our society,” said Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datin Hajah Fatimah Abdullah when officiating the course at Yayasan Kemajuan Insan Sarawak (Yakin) complex.
The aim of the course is to train more effective Special Olympics (SO) coaches so that SO athletes can raise and reach their potential in and outside the fields of sport training and athletic competition.
“Our target group is the intellectual disabled, which is why we can’t have just anyone but trained individuals. We aim to have at least one trained and certified SO community-level coach in each institution that has sport training and athletic competition,” said Fatimah, who is also Special Olympics Sarawak chairperson.
The participants include staffs of Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Sarawak, special education teachers, community-based rehabilitation centres, SO athletes, paralympic athletes and parents.
Fatimah said the community-level course, which is the first level of the SO Malaysia Coach Education System, is an important course for SO coaches to be given guidance and opportunities to acquire knowledge and hone their delivery skills.
“Participants here proved that they have what it takes to train and coach our athletes so that they can showcase their best capabilities and develop courage. When we believe in our SO athletes, we will see the results of their achievements. The disabled, given the right guidance, will achieve great heights like any normal people, “ she pointed out.
This course was sponsored by Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, with a special allocation of RM10,000.
At the end of the course, participants will learn what Special Olympics is all about, the differences between SO and paralympics, the Coach Education System (CES), and more.
Participants are encouraged to put into practice what they learn in the course by returning to their workplace and coach their athletes for a minimum of 20 hours, documenting every training session.
With the experience plus an attendance in a first-aid course, they will be accredited Community-level Coach. These criteria must be satisfied within 6 months of this course.