By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
CROSS-SECTOR groups recently banded anew for the fifth staging of the Ability Games.
An event designed to provide persons with disabilities (PWD) an opportunity to learn the sports of their choice as well as enhance the social awareness of parents, teachers, athletes, and students in attendance, the Ability Games successfully took place at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Gym in Taft Avenue.
During the event, which CSB did in collaboration with Ability Games proponent Eva Parreño, Potato Corner and advocacy-focused Volunteer-PWD, participants representing the deaf, blind, autistic, amputees, and persons with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy showcased their sporting skills and actively joined activities such as games of badminton, table tennis, chess, balloon relay, and even ballroom dancing.
CSB and its partners said that through the Ability Games, which was started by Ms Parreño in 2013, they hope their message of “inclusion” gets across while highlighting the role that sports play in it.
Joining the Fifth Ability Games were former national team athletes Stephen Fernandez and Akiko Thompson, who gave inspiring words and guidance to the participants.
Mr. Fernandez (taekwondo) was part of the Philippine Team that saw action at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and is currently the director of CSB’s Center for Sports and Development, while Ms. Thompson was a bemedalled Southeast Asian Games swimmer and is the president of the Philippine Olympians Associations.
Present at the Fifth Ability Games were participants from Philippine International Network for Accessible Tourism, Inc. (PINATI) in Malanday, Marikina; Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines (DSAPI); Amputee for Life (AMP4life); PWD Burgos Association; Autism Society of the Philippines Manila, Pasay, and Cavite Chapters; Las Pinas PWD Federation; Abot-Kamay ng mga may Kapansanan and Pag-unlad ng Pasigueno (AKAPP) Pinagbuhatan, Pasig; and Persons with Disabilities Office (PDAO) Tanauan, Batangas.
