Para-Olympians should be held as an example of a more diverse and inclusive Malaysia. - AFP
Para-Olympians should be held as an example of a more diverse and inclusive Malaysia. - AFP

THE world's attention is now on the thousands of athletes from small and big nations, including Malaysia, vying for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

While the limelight will be on the most popular sports and new world records, we should not forget that the majority of athletes in Tokyo are professionals, not only because they strive for excellence every day, but also because they hardly live off their fame and earnings.

Less popular sports that are yet to captivate audiences are still managed as disciplines founded on athleticism and positive values rather than entertainment businesses driven by gigantic profit making.

Yet, these athletes are no less deserving than their more famous peers and should be praised even more than them because, despite challenges, they persevere and march on.

Among them there are thousands of para-athletes who will gather in Japan's capital from Aug 24 to Sept 5 for the Paralympic Games.

Malaysia is sending a contingent of at least 25 para-athletes who have been preparing for this event with passion, self confidence and sheer determination. I hope that they will attract as much interest and following as their able-bodied peers.

The para-Olympians should be held as an example of a more diverse and inclusive Malaysia, role models and unsung heroes that, if properly supported, can play a fundamental role in shifting the country towards a more inclusive and integrated future.

Because it is clear that the scope of sports around the world is beyond just competition, glory and top performance. There is wide recognition that sports play an important role in creating social cohesion and building future leadership pipelines.

This is acknowledged through a series of UN General Assembly resolutions that are at the root of the rationale for the United Nations Action Plan on Sport for Development and Peace based on which the UN secretary general wrote the groundbreaking report, "Sport: a global accelerator of peace and sustainable development for all".

In addition, there are the Kazan Action Plan focused on physical education and the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030, adopted by the World Health Assembly in collaboration with the UN Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases.

Are policymakers in Malaysia aware of the importance of investing in grassroots inclusive sports programmes or are we running into the risk of neglecting such initiatives because of the staggering number of challenges due to a pandemic?

Investing in physical education and grassroots sports in an inclusive manner — meaning that children and youth with disabilities must be included — is essential and a long-term investment for a healthier future.

Finding the resources to promote health, fitness and sports habits can make a difference. It is also a smart policy because it would save a huge amount in healthcare in the future.

The public health issue of obesity is not new. Therefore, can we leverage the momentum created by the Olympics and Paralympics to project a different vision for the country?

Because there are high expectations that any future government in Malaysia will invest more in grassroots, inclusive healthcare, then, why not engage para-athletes and their able-bodied peers to promote healthy habits?

The Health Ministry, in partnership with the Education and Youth and Sport Ministries, and the National Sports Council, together with the National Paralympic Council and the Olympic Council, could devise awareness plans by mobilising the Tokyo 2020 para-athletes and athletes to facilitate a national conversation about better healthy daily practices, while also highlighting the "social" contributions sports can bring to society.

Everyone should embrace sports and physical fitness in Malaysia and sports can make a difference at the societal level, bringing people from different cultures together and helping create new bonds while making people fit and healthy.

Let's hope that Tokyo's momentum will translate into farsighted, concrete policies, bringing about a drastic shift in people's daily way of life.

The author writes on social inclusion, youth development, regional integration and the SDGs in the context of the Asia Pacific