Sports for the Person with a Disability
The 7th FESPIC Games in Bangkok, Thailand

Sirinart Tongsiri
Medical Doctor, Classification Subcommittee, the 7th FESPIC Games Bangkok

Ratana Taweesangsuksakul
Medical Doctor, Medical Classifier, the 7th FESPIC Games Bangkok

Abstract Sports for the disabled, like the non disabled, help to increase strength and endurance, to improve their performance, to restore activity of mind and self confidence, and to improve the quality of life. Now sports play a major and important role in social aspects of comprehensive rehabilitation programs beside to medical, educational and vocational aspects. Many international competitive sports for the disabled were held in the past such as in 1996, more than 4,000 athletes from 102 countries completed in the Atlanta Paralympic Games. In this paper, we would like to focus on the 7th Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled (FESPIC) Games in Bangkok, Thailand 1999.

Introduction

Sports is an important component of human beings especially for the disabled. Sports can help to improve their performance, to restore activity of mind and self confidence and to prevent the boredom of hospital life. According to that reasons, the first competitive sports for physically disabled were introduced by Sir. Ludwig Guttmann at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England in 1948 called - The Stoke Mandeville Games ( SMG ) which continues to this day as The International Stoke Mandeville Games.

After that, the international sports for the disabled were interested and organized in many regions in the world. The FESPIC Games is the games for the person with disability in Far East and South Pacific region that consist of 42 countries as the member. This games is available not only for the physically disabled but for other disabilities such as visually impaired, cerebral palsy and mentally handicapped also.

History of the FESPIC Games

With the interesting and recognition of Dr. Nakamura about the sports benefits for the disabled, he and his colleagues have set the sport organization for the disabled in 1975 Called FESPIC Games Federation for the Disability. The objectives of this organization establishment are to provide and integrate sports into rehabilitation for all kinds of the disabilities and to promote the mutual understanding and friendship among the people with disabilities from all over the world.

The first FESPIC Games was organized in Oita City, Japan in 1975 and has been continued to this day in ordered as followings:

For the next four years, the games will be held in Pusan, Korea.

FESPIC Games in Bangkok, Thailand 1999

Equality in one world is a Slogan of the FESPIC Games, Bangkok 1999. The emblem of the FESPIC Games, Bangkok 1999 is a graphic design of a disabled person surging forward on a speeding wheelchair under a Thai gable, symbolizing the strong determination of the disabled to strike gold at the 7th FESPIC Games in Bangkok.

The mascot of the FESPIC Games, Bangkok 1999 is a siamese cat ( female ) in a wheelchair bearing a flaming torch, it symbolizes the Games. Its tail is shaped like figure 7. Because this is the seventh time this grand event is being held.

It is the first time that Thailand gets the great honor to host the international games for the disabled. This is the biggest activities for the disabled that have had in Thailand. Two thousand five hundred disabled athletes participated in the 7 th FESPIC Games. There are 15 sports that provided for competition in this games. All competitive sports are archery, athletics, badminton, football, goalball, judo, shooting, swimming, table tennis, boccia, powerlifting, volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing and wheelchair tennis. The sports for the mentally handicapped is the demonstration games. The FESPIC Organization Committee is the headquarters for running the Games. As you might know, the disabled athletes who participated in this Games have different types of disabilities. In the same disability but different disability level, one might get advantages to another. So they must be classified for the level of disabilities before completed the games.

The Amputee and Les Autres must be classified under the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) rules.

The Visually Impaired must be classified under the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) rules. Cerebral Palsy must be classified under the Cerebral Palsy - International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA) rules. Paraplegia and Quadriplegia must be classified under the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF) rules. Mentally Handicapped must be classified under the International Sports Federation for Persons with Mental Handicap (INAS-FMH) Rules.

What Do We Get From The Games?

It is very good to have the international games for the disabled people in Thailand. Thai people got many things from this Games. First, we feel very proud that Thailand can organize the grand international sports for the disabled beside sports for the non disabled people - the Asian Games that was held before. Even though we are facing to the economics crisis, the opening ceremony was very impressed too.

The more important thing is that we can draw attention from the government and the society to come and see what the people with disabilities can do. A great number of the Thai disabled got a good opportunity to display their capabilities in view of sport manners. Not only can the non disabled play sports but the persons with disabilities also can do. It is a challenge that they have to win their disabilities first, and then we will see who is working more harder and be the winner. This is a good example for the non disabled people to see when they think to lose their life. The Thai people learn more and know about the potential of the people with disabilities. It is good for the society rehabilitation for the disabled. they can have more opportunities to live their lives.

Other aspects that broaden Thai people's views are the development of special designed sporting equipment for the disabled athletes such as sport wheelchairs and special designed prosthesis. Someone has never seen that equipment before. In this games, he can look and see how the disabled can participate in sports.

Not only the advance in technology of the equipment, but the accessible facilities are also the important one for the disabled. That facilities are the special needs of the disabled that society should be recognized. If we give them a suitable access, it can help and promote the disabled to live with their own, and to do anything by themselves as the non disabled people. We build the access for them in the villages and in the venue. This can be the example for the society to see when they want to build some in the road.

Problems and the Obstacles

First, we have the problems about the cooperation between the subcommittees. Second, we do not have a good experienced personnel in the technical parts and the medical parts. We should promote a person to be the representative of Thailand to work in the FESPIC Federation. So we can debate and guide the FESPIC Committee to do the better preparation.

Comments

It seems that the FESPIC Games came and gone with nothing left. They should use this chance to call for attention from the society to provide the equal opportunities in education, in getting the jobs, in providing more access for the disabled and let them join the same world as the non disabled people.

The main purpose of the Games is, whether Thailand is the winner of the gold medals or not, that the society and the government give more attention for the people with disabilities. We, then, win the Games.

In Thailand, 8 percent of people get at least one kind of disabilities. Most of them are the movement disability. They are living mostly in the upcountry. After the medical rehabilitation, they go back home and stay in the same environment which sometimes are not suitable for their disabilities. The educational rehabilitation, the work rehabilitation and the handicap in the society are the same. Thai attitudes for the disabled people is that the people with disabilities did something very bad in their life before. So for this life, they got the results for that, nothing to do with them, just to stay in the house, no need to be educated and no need to do jobs. After the FESPIC Games, we hope those people can change their point of views about the disabilities.

Conclusion

The sports are good for the rehabilitation both in physical and psychological. They can make friends through the sports and can learn their abilities from the sports. It makes them willing to stay more. They learn how to get along with other people. Then the non disabled people know how they can get along with the disabled and learn that even though they looked different, they can not do something in the same ways, just give them the devices, just give them the access, and the most important one is just give them the equal opportunity. Then they can do the same ways as the other people do.

References

Miller, M.A. & Rucker, K.S. (1997). Disabled Athletes. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation State of the Art Review. (11)(3) pp. 465-488.

Thai documents. (1998). Bangkok: The FESPIC classification workshop.

The 7th FESPIC Games's bulletins. (1998). Bangkok: The 7th FESPIC Bangkok Organizing Committee.

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Asia and Pacific Journal on Disability
Vol. 2, No. 1, May 1999

Contributed by Mr. Tsuyoshi Takeda, Asahi Shimbum Newspaper

ISSN 1029-4414