"The first batch of participants to the APG will arrive on Saturday from Bahrain. Others will follow, with the peak being expected on Sept 30," INAPGOC Chairman Raja Sapta Okthari remarked at a press conference at the Soekarno-Hatta airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Tuesday.
He said the athletes would arrive between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time, with each aircraft of the contingents carrying some 20 wheelchairs on an average.
"The biggest challenge to face will be handling electric wheelchairs in view of their weight, which is around 100 to 130 kilogram each. Their number totals some 100," he noted at the conference on simulation for the handling of the arrivals of participants.
He said the batteries used in the wheelchairs required special treatment.
"We must ensure optimal service to the users of wheelchairs, as they have weak backbone or plegia," he noted.
PT Angkas Pura II, as the operator of Soekarno-Hatta airport, has prepared three lifts, with a capacity of carrying 32 wheelchairs.
"Our airport has been friendly to people with disabilities, but certainly it has to be prepared to accommodate the arrivals of 1,100 wheelchairs or 2,838 athletes with disabilities simultaneously. We, the INAPGOC, and the Soekarno-Hatta Airpirt Community, have made adjustments to ensure the best service to the guests," he stated.
Apart from the handling of wheelchair users, the INAPGOC and PT Angkasa Pura will also prepare golf cars for athletes using sticks to avoid possible scratches on their hands or arms if they have to walk too far.
"It is not a problem for them to stay longer at the airport so long as they feel comfortable. It would be a problem if they felt uncomfortable while at the airport," he added.
Reporting by Imam Santoso
Editing by Yoseph Haryadi
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Suharto
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