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John Abidin (left) and Lim Soon Haw received participation medals for the half marathon. |
Special Olympics Malaysia athletes were among the 1,000 runners from 21 countries who raced in the Borneo International Marathon in October 2008. Five of the 12 Special Olympics athletes ran in the 21K half-marathon category and seven others ran in the 10K race. John Abidin and Lim Soon Haw completed the half marathon within the qualifying time and received participation medals.
Datuk Hj. Safari Manan, Special Olympics Malaysia Board Chair of the sub-Program in Sabah, stressed that when athletes participate in mainstream events, they not only increase their own self-confidence, but also they give the public a different, positive impression of people with intellectual disabilities. “It’s about involvement and participation, and, in the process, we learn to appreciate ourselves and value each other,” he said.
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