Four countries will do battle in today's Special Olympics Asia Pacific Bocce Competition (SOAPBC).

Hosts Brunei, Malaysia, New Zealand and the Philippines will gather at the Multipurpose Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas to compete in the four-day event which hopes to foster sportsmanship amongst special athletes in the Asia Pacific region and also promote a healthy lifestyle amongst the participants.

According to a Press release issued by Special Olympics Brunei Darussalam yesterday, this year will be the third time the country is hosting the event since its inception in 2005.

Her Royal Highness Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bolkiah is expected to grace tomorrow's opening ceremony.

This years' competition will also highlight the theme of health promotion amongst the special athletes as the Sultanate has also been chosen as the venue for the Healthy Athlete Train the Trainer in Health Promotion workshop.

The three-day workshop starts today at the Health Promotion Centre of the Ministry of Health in Berakas.

With this training, the participants will be certified by Special Olympics International (SOI) as health promotion clinical directors in their respective countries and Special Olympics (SO) programs.

These participants will then be given the responsibility of running health promotion programs which include screening and giving advice to individuals with intellectual disabilities, thus helping them change their lifestyles towards a healthier life.

Special Olympics Brunei Darussalam is a non profit non-government organisation aiming to provide year-round sports training and athletics competition in a variety of Olympics-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities in Brunei.

Courtesy from Brunei Times