SINGAPORE - As part of the government's push to more persons with disabilities to pick up sport, Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced on Wednesday (Nov 23) a partnership with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to train more local coaches for para sports.

SportSG, the national agency for sport, and the IPC will conduct courses that cover coaching, technical officiating and classification in para sports as well as creating awareness for the Paralympic movement and National Paralympic Committee (NPC) management programmes.

The tie-up will also look at training more coaches in South-east Asia.

A total of fifty participants from Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia had completed a two-day course. The topics covered included an introduction to the IPC classification, sport psychosocial aspects, anatomy, skill development and communication with para athletes.

Other recent government initiatives include the introduction of five para sports for the first time at this year's biennial Singapore National Games and the establishment of five Centres of Expertise islandwide, sports centres which offer tailor-made programmes for people with disabilities, over the next five years.

Last year, Singapore hosted the Asean Para Games for the first time and sent a record contingent of 154 para athletes who delivered a record haul of 63 medals (24 gold, 17 silver, 22 bronze). The Republic followed that with two golds and a bronze at the Rio Paralympics in August.

There is growing public awareness of para sports, said SSI's director of coach development Troy Engle.

"We have seen a significant increase in demand among our coaches and sports professionals for information and development opportunities to support those working with persons with disabilities.

"We are very happy that this partnership with the IPC to develop para sport, in both Singapore and the region, has come at the right time for us to support and develop our coaches and will provide increased opportunity for interested people to learn and be a part of our para sport expansion."

IPC summer sports director Ryan Montgomery added: "We are convinced that SportSG will be a true leader in developing IPC Sports and NPCs in Asia, with a focus on the Southeast Asian region, and are looking forward to the many successful programmes to come."

For information on upcoming coaching courses in early 2017, e-mail Info_ParaSports@sport.gov.sg