Refer Report
Vanuatu javelin thrower Ken Kahu
Vanuatu’s Ken Kahu competes in the men’s javelin throw sport class F64 at the Paris Paralympics. Paris Paralympics Joint Press Corps
Pacific Oceania small island nation
Mostly uninhabited, population of only 330,000
Poor cost and facilities, difficult to participate
‘A valuable experience’ with the help of BDH Foundation
A javelin thrower from the Oceanic island nation of Vanuatu, who trained by throwing avocados, has qualified for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games with help from the Korean sports community.
Ken Kahu (25) recorded 52.01m in the men’s sport class F64 javelin finals at the Paris Paralympic Games held at the Stade de France in Paris, France on the 3rd (local time), placing 9th out of 10. He broke his personal best (48.17m) in his second attempt. Although he did not win a medal, he achieved his dream of competing in the Paralympics.
Vanuatu is an island nation located in the Pacific Ocean east of Australia. Of the 80 islands, 65 are uninhabited, and the population is only 330,000. In the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, two athletes (athletics) and in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, one athlete (weightlifting) participated. After that, they were unable to send athletes due to issues with costs and facilities. In the Paris Games, women’s shot put Ellie Enoch (35) and Kahu participated. This was thanks to the support of the Korea Paralympic Committee and the BDH Foundation.
Ken Kahu (left), who visited the Para Team Korea House on the 4th, is taking a commemorative photo with Bae Dong-hyun, chairman of the BDH Foundation (center). Courtesy of the Korea Paralympic Committee
The BDH Foundation was founded and is chaired by Bae Dong-hyun, Vice Chairman of Changsung Group, who founded Changsung Construction, the team of Shin Ui-hyun, the gold medalist at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics. Chairman Bae created the foundation to support more disabled sports. He helped countries with poor conditions for disabled sports, such as Central and South America, Africa, and Oceania.
President Jeong Jin-wan of the Korea Paralympic Committee visited several countries, including Vanuatu, in person. He supported the hosting and participation of competitions so that athletes could receive international sports ratings, and sponsored each country’s Paralympic Committee.
Last October, the Korea Paralympic Committee, Oceania Paralympic Committee (OPC), and BDH Foundation signed a three-party business agreement and promised to support disabled sports in six countries, including Vanuatu. Kahu is also one of the first athletes to participate in the Paralympics with the help of the BDH Foundation.
Kahu usually works at an avocado farm and practices throwing avocados because there is no window. He visited the Para Team Korea House on this day and met Chairman Bae again.
“It is an honor to represent Vanuatu at the Paralympics,” said Kahu. “Before this, I had no idea about Korea. I am so grateful to the Korean people and the BDH Foundation.” Margaret Macfarlane, Chairwoman of the Vanuatu Paralympic Committee, said, “Thanks to Chairman Bae’s support, our athletes were able to participate in the Paralympics and train overseas. Thank you.”
Chairman Bae said, “I was more moved. I was very happy to see the parents of the players proud,” and “The people of Vanuatu were proud to see the players and even participated in fundraising activities. I was proud to see that.”
Source: Korean