ALOR SETAR, May 13 (Bernama) -- The Kedah State Youth and Sports Department (JBS) is looking for new talent among the para sports community to be promoted to higher levels, including as substitutes for the country's Paralympic athletes, through the INSPIRE i-Talent 2026 programme.
Kedah State Youth and Sports Department director Azura Sarbin said the programme, which will be held in all districts in the state from May 14 to June 16, is also part of Kedah JBS's ongoing commitment to empowering the development of sports for people with disabilities (PWD).
"The INSPIRE i-Talent programme is an initiative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) in strengthening the development of grassroots sports for the disabled and serving as a platform to find new talent among the para-sports community.
"The implementation of this programme is also in line with KBS's desire to cultivate 'Sports for All' through efforts to improve the well-being of the people and ensure that the disabled are also given the opportunity to participate in sports development in an inclusive manner," she told Bernama here, today.
According to her, the programme also focuses on efforts to identify basic sports talents among the disabled as well as encourage their active participation in sports and recreational activities.
"This programme also serves as a bridge connecting talents identified at the grassroots level to be promoted to the high-performance level," she said.
Azura said that apart from that, INSPIRE i-Talent 2026 also aims to inject enthusiasm and self-confidence into the disabled so that they are more courageous in participating in competitive sports and tournaments at a time when forward.
According to her, the implementation of the programme in Kedah involves 12 districts, namely at Bukit Jenun Special Model School, Pendang on May 14; Kedah State Youth and Sports Complex, Alor Setar (May 19); Tunku Panglima Besar National Secondary School (SMK), Kulim (May 20); KSK Bandar Baharu (May 20); SMK Kedawang, Langkawi (June 6), KRM Baling (June 6).
In addition, at KSK Jerlun, Kubang Pasu on June 10; SMK Naka, Padang Terap (June 10); SMK Batu 8, Sik (June 11), Sungai Petani Inland Revenue Board Hall (June 11); SMK Pokok Sena 2 (June 14) and SMK Dulang, Yan (June 16).
Azura said JBS Kedah hoped that the programme would be able to produce more new talents among state athletes, thus strengthening the development of sports for the disabled at the state and national levels.
"The INSPIRE i-Talent 2026 program also proves the government's continued commitment in ensuring that the disabled are not left behind in the youth development agenda and national sports,” she said.
-- BERNAMA
