Paralympic Committee of Thailand secretary general elected ASEAN Para Sports Federation President

Thailand's Osoth Bhavilai has been elected President of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Para Sports Federation ©APSF

Paralympic Committee of Thailand secretary general Osoth Bhavilai has been elected President of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Para Sports Federation (APSF) for a three-year term.

The 64-year-old beat Ng Keng Chuan of Malaysia to the Presidency after securing eight votes to his opponents one at the APSF Board of Executives (BoE) election in Singapore.

He will serve in the role from 2016 to 2019 and replaces outgoing President Dato Zainal Abu Zarin, who stepped down and opted not to contest the election.

Zarin had been at the helm of the APSF, the governing body for the Paralympic Movement in South East Asia, for three terms.

Bhavulai has been involved with the organisation since its inception in 2001 and was Thailand’s Chef de Mission for three consecutive Paralympic Games starting at Athens 2004.

The newly-elected President has invited his predecessor to continue to offer him advice as he prepares to lead the APSF in a crucial period for the Paralympic Movement.

“I hope Dato Zainal, with his wealth of experience will continue to contribute and share his valuable experience with the new Board,” he said.

The elections were held during the ASEAN Para Games which got underway on Thursday ©SAPGOC

As well as the Presidential Election, four new vice-presidents were appointed, who will each also serve three-year terms.

Vietnam’s Vu The Piet, a member of the APSF Sports Committee, received four votes.

Than Than Htay of Myanmar, a representative on the Medical and Sports Science Committee picked up seven.

The other two vice-presidents, Cambodia’s Yi Veasna and Kesone Sisongkham of Laos, were elected unopposed.

Thailand's Nopodol Jiraboondilok will serve as the governing body’s treasurer after he received eight votes in his contest with Malaysia’s Ang Kean Koo, who claimed one vote.

The elections were held during the ASEAN Para Games, which got underway with the Opening Ceremony on Thursday (December 3).

A total of 1,257 athletes from various categories of impairment, will be vying for the 476 medals on offer in archery, athletics, badminton, boccia, chess, cerebral palsy football, football five-a-side, goalball, powerlifting, sailing, shooting, swimming, tenpin bowling, table tennis and wheelchair basketball.