The third edition of Sport for Parkinson’s is going to be on October 26, with the participation of the Ministry for Sports, Sports Malta and the Malta Olympic Committee.
The annual event is held to raise funds for the voluntary organisation Step Up for Parkinson; ‘s, which provides free specialised movement classes to people living with Parkinson’s Disease in Malta as well as their caregivers.
Malta’s Parkinson’s ambassador Adrian Casha said that it is a fundamental right for people like him to be able to live a better life, with ‘Ħajja Aħjar’ serving as the theme for this year’s marathon.
Casha praised all the sporting organisations participating in the event, adding that despite having lived with Parkinson’s for the past six years, he is in absolute control of himself and is more active than ever.
“I may have Parkinson’s but Parkinson’s doesn’t have me,” Casha said.
Sports Minister Clifton Grima said that sports has a special positive impact that not only unites communities but that can also be used in an altruistic way that shows solidarity.
He urged all national sports associations, clubs and athletes to answer this call and organise events for this marathon.
The PN’s shadow minister for sports Adrian Delia praised the Malta Olympic Committee and Sport Malta for partnering with Step Up For Parkinson’s for this event.
Delia also appealed to the government not to rely only on NGOs to hold such initiatives but to help them and support them throughout the process.
Step Up For Parkinson’s aims to raise awareness on the role physical activity plays in alleviating the symptoms of Parkinson’s. It also runs a newly-opened therapy centre in Naxxar and is making plans to expand its activities to Gozo.
According to Step Up for Parkinson’s some 2,000 people live with Parkinson’s disease in Malta. The NGO says it will continue to press efforts to enhance their quality of life.
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