Irene Nabalamba
29 March 2009
opinion
Kampala — When one talks about sports, few people will think about Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Ugandans have an attitude that sports is only for people who are able-bodied.
However, PWDs also enjoy and can participate in sports. Sport for PWDs is not something different from the usual sports activities. Depending on one's disability, PWDs can participate in almost all sports activities.
There are many different kinds of sports PWDs can play and enjoy. They include wheelchair football, bowling, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair dance, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair cycling, swimming, tennis, badminton, javelin, yachting, shooting, snooker and skiing among others. These sports can thrill revellers as they watch a usual thing done in an uncommon manner.
Advocating for inclusion of PWDs sports in national competitions should be given priority. Disabled people's organisations should inform the stakeholders like Federation for Uganda Football Association, Federation for Uganda Basketball Association and the Ministry of Education and Sports of the need to include PWDs in all sports activities.
PWDs also have to take the lead by getting organised and form teams for different sports at various levels like parishes, sub-counties and districts and eventually national teams, for example a national team for wheelchair football and wheelchair basketball.
PWDs should also form a strong body in form of a sports association or organisation in Uganda.
Such a strong body can be used to lobby and spearhead the formation of PWDs sports teams and establishment of a sports centre for PWDs that can have modern facilities to accommodate all disability sports.
In conclusion, PWDs have a right to take part in any social event and sports in particular. PWDs should organise sports teams from grassroots level and lobby for the inclusion of disability sports teams into all sports calendars.
Sports activities will provide a good platform for PWDs to prove their abilities and worth to society. This will also reduce the discrimination and stigmatisation against them.
The writer is the public relations and programme development officer at CoRSU Rehabilitation
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