KUALA LUMPUR: The national wheelchair basketball team have been handed a tough assignment in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games after being drawn in Group B with favourites Japan and South Korea.
Apart from 2018 edition silver medallist Japan and bronze medallist South Korea, Group B also comprises Kuwait and Taiwan.
National team coach Lim Ming Lip has only set his team a modest target of finishing among the top six teams in the quadrennial Games.
“Quite difficult to place a lofty target after being drawn in this group. So, if we can defeat Taiwan or Kuwait, we can, at least, qualify for the fifth and sixth classification matches,” he told Bernama after the mock cheque presentation by sponsors to the Malaysian Wheelchair Basketball Federation (MWBF) here today.
Ming Lip said the team have been training at home by sparring with former wheelchair cagers, who have taken the time to share their experiences of playing on the international stage.
Meanwhile, team captain Muhamad Atib Zakaria said their bronze medal achievement in the 2023 ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia in the men’s 3x3 event had boosted their spirits to improve on their Asiad performance in Hangzhou.
“In Cambodia in June, our squad was a mixture of new and old faces. This time, 90 per cent of them are senior players, so it might prove to be an advantage,” he said.
In the 2018 edition of the Asian Para Games in Jakarta, the men’s wheelchair basketball team finished ninth after defeating Indonesia 79-23 in the 5x5 category.
The national wheelchair team, comprising 12 players and three officials, will leave for China on Oct 16 to compete in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games from Oct 22-28.-Bernama
