Deaf school wins Games basketball competition

GOSPEL School for the Deaf was yesterday crowned the inaugural winner of the 2009 Central Eastern Disabled Regional Games basketball competition at the Tattersal National Gym.

For their win, Gospel took home the Fiji Paralympic Committee/Mark Secombe Trophy.

Tournament organiser Saimoni Nainoca said this was an historic occasion for the games as it was the first time they included basketball. Nainoca said he was impressed by what he saw at the courts as the kids played with a lot of confidence and skills.

"We have only three schools playing basketball this year but we hope to increase this number next year," Nainoca said.

"The basketball competition kicks off our 2009 Central Eastern Games and from tomorrow (today) we will play the other sports."

Eight special schools from Suva, Nausori and Levuka are competing in the two-day event. The games started with basketball and today competition for the other games will be held in Nausori.

Nainoca said for the first time in the history of the games, they have invited primary schools from the Nausori area to be included.

"We have done this because we want our kids to integrate with able bodied kids from primary schools," Nainoca said.

"Previously we've always kept kids from special schools separate from other kids but now we want to change that viewpoint.

"We want to see that kids from Special Schools and those from Primary Schools are brought together so that we don't segregate some because of their disabilities but give them the opportunity to play sports in unity," Nainoca said.

In the basketball competition, Suva Special School took home the second place while Hilton Special School was third. The games will start with a march through Nausori Town to Ratu Cakobau Park. Competition will be played in various grounds around Nausori.

By JOSEFA MAKABA

FIJI TIMES ONLINE




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