MSDeaf Engages Two Coaches To Boost Preparations For APDG 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Deaf Sports Association (MSDeaf) has engaged two former national coaches in athletics and bowling to strengthen preparations for the 2026 Asia Pacific Deaf Games (APDG) in Penang this October.

Its president Dr Ong Shin Ruenn said Muhammad Amir Izwan Tan Abdullah (athletics) and Holloway Cheah (bowling) have been involved in the national training camp since February.

He said the appointments are expected to enhance Malaysia’s performance at the Games, following the four gold medals achieved at the 2024 edition in Kuala Lumpur.

“MSDeaf is proud to secure established coaches with experience in mainstream sports. We hope Muhammad Amir’s experience will help train deaf athletes to adapt and improve their performance. I see this as a positive development.

“Coach Holloway, meanwhile, is expected to assist the bowling team in areas such as marking, while introducing new ideas and techniques to enable deaf bowlers to compete on par with mainstream athletes,” he told Bernama at the MSDeaf Hari Raya celebration here today.

Ong said although there are challenges in aligning training approaches between coaches and athletes, current progress indicates positive signs ahead of the Games.

He said Muhammad Amir, who previously coached national sprint ace Muhammad Azeem Fahmi, is now focusing on strengthening the performance aspects of the athletics squad, while Holloway is working on improving the bowling team’s techniques and strategies.

“For bowling, training is held in Sunway, while athletics sessions take place at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Sports Complex as well as the National Sports Council (MSN) complex,” he said.

He added that apart from athletics and bowling, MSDeaf is also intensifying preparations in badminton to boost medal prospects.

“In badminton, we are aware of the strong challenge from South Korea and Japan. However, we remain positive with the support of the National Sports Institute (ISN) in assessing athletes’ strengths and enhancing their overall development,” he said.

-- BERNAMA