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Interview with Mr Kenneth Soh, Team Manager of Team Singapore Boccia
| 23 January 2008, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Mr Kenneth Soh, Manager of Team Singapore Boccia, has just witnessed his team create Singapore ASEAN Para Games history by winning our first ever medals in Boccia. Much of this is due to the dedication and commitment of each and every of the team's six players. But the contributions of the Team Manager, Coach, Ms Lanny Kwok and the Caregivers should not be overlooked as well. Q: Hi Kenneth, congratulations to you and your Team for winning Singapore's first ever ASEAN Para Games medals in Boccia. How do you feel about your Team's performance? Kenneth: Thank you. I feel that the Team has done extremely well, each and every one of them, especially considering the fact that they are all first timers at the ASEAN Para Games or any sort of international tournament of this scale. Three of our athletes, Jeralyn Tan, Toh Sze Ning and Goh Ta Lang reached the semi-finals of their category and of course, Jeralyn Tan went a step further and reached the final. From there, I can see the potential in the whole team and that makes me very happy and proud. Q: How long has Boccia been in Singapore? Kenneth: It started approximately in 2001 and from then, we progressed steadily through a series of smaller scale tournaments and games like the National Disability Games. It was later renamed to become the National Disability League and it is still an ongoing annual event. The most recent larger scale tournament that we had was the Boccia Invitational that was held in Singapore just last year. Q: Finally, looking forward, how do think we can improve on the standard of Boccia in Singapore? Kenneth: In my opinion, the key thing would be to increase the pool of Boccia players. Boccia, as you may know, is a sport for the severely disabled and the classification categories can be rather broad at times. You have the BC1-4, but they encompass more than one type of disability. Therefore, to have a larger pool of players give us more choice and leeway to improve on our standard of play. The other way to improve is to find more committed and dedicated volunteers. Boccia to me is a unique sport unlike any other. The unsung heroes that are often out of the limelight are the volunteers that accompany the Boccia athletes for practically most of the day. Besides for practical reasons, some of these caregivers double up as ramp assistants during the Boccia game itself. The unity between the athlete and the ramp assistant is crucial in determining how well the athlete performs. Therefore, finding committed volunteers who can play the multiple roles of caregiver, ramp assistant and friend is an important factor in improving Boccia in Singapore. Boccia: The Game A sport which dates back to ancient times, boccia is one of the fastest growing Paralympic sports. Boccia is a test of muscle control and accuracy, requiring high focus and concentration. The goal of the sport is to throw/bowl game balls so they land as close as possible to a special target ball, the 'jack'. Boccia is practiced in 42 countries and is open to athletes with cerebral palsy or related neurological conditions using a wheelchair.
It has been developed for many years as a leisure activity and as a competitive sport and it was introduced at the New York 1984 Paralympic Games. Boccia has no counterpart in the Olympic programme. All events are mixed gender and feature individual, pair and team competitions for a total of seven medal events. The game consists of four rounds, in individuals and pairs, and of six rounds in the team division. It is played on a marked court, usually with a hard surface. Boccia is governed by the International Boccia Commission, a committee of the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA). |
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| Mr Kenneth Soh (standing, first from right), together with his Team |