Indonesia secured two golds at the 6th edition of the Asia Pacific Deaf Badminton Championships, which took place at Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand, from September 14–21, 2022.
Ilyas Rachman Ryandhani obtained the first gold medal in the men’s singles after defeating Edi Susanto, who is also from Indonesia.
Ryandhani bagged the second gold medal in the men’s doubles, where he was paired with Susanto. They defeated the Thai pair by 21-19, 22-20.
“The struggle of the group (match) was quite tough but we tried to get through it with robustness. Actually, the preparation (for the championship) was very sudden, and I also practiced by myself with Ryandhani at the Garuda club,” Susanto told ANTARA here on Wednesday.
Athletes from seven countries and administrative regions took part in the 2022 Asia Pacific Deaf Badminton Championships. The countries included India, Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, and host Thailand.
Indonesia sent 10 athletes for the championship. Besides Ryandhani and Susanto, Dzakiyah A. Maruf, Ghaniah Fadlatun Nisa, and Muhamad Enrico Rasyadan also participated in the competition.
The departure of the Indonesian delegation was facilitated by the Indonesian Deaf Sports Association (PORTURIN).
PORTURIN is the main sports organization for deaf athletes and is an official member of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Championships for deaf athletes are organized separately from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) competitions so they have their own programs and calendars.
In Indonesia, other than PORTURIN, the Indonesian Association for the Welfare of the Deaf (GERKATIN), which has been a member of the World Federation of the Deaf since 1983, also assists deaf people.
In addition to increasing the potential of deaf human resources, GERKATIN seeks to play an active role in supporting the government’s social development programs for the deaf.
Source: Antara News