Mpindi: Para-sport needs more funds

Precious Asiimwe of Rubanda district, south Western Uganda, wowed the crowds at 2024 National Disability Sports Gala in Kabale with a silver in wheelchair racing and gold in archery—sports he never knew since his disability in 2019.

Asiimwe is already dreaming big: training with elites like his role model Dennis Mbaziira, and playing in international events. Yet he’s just one of the many raw diamonds spotted from the four-day gala. But what are their chances of becoming the next Paralympians?

“It all goes back to funding,” said Uganda Paralympic Committee (UPC) president Bumali Mpindi before handing the overall trophy to Gulu University at Kigezi High School Primary on a rainy Saturday evening.

The annual gala rotates in districts and regions—Iganga 2022, Arua 2023—to give a playing chance to children with disabilities and to identify new talents.

“Every year we spot raw talents but we don’t have a mechanism to sustain their performance and development into elite athletes,” Mpindi admitted.

“We lack coaches, facilities and equipment. We thus appeal to the government to enable us to have coaches on the grassroots so that in the future these athletes are ready to compete at the national level.”

In the financial years since Mpindi became a member of parliament in 2021, the government has allocated over a Shs1b to UPC. It’s a huge improvement, Mpindi acknowledges. But if it must be shared by 22 sports disciplines, asking for more cannot be inconsiderate.

With corporate sponsorship to mainstream sports still small, you can’t fault Mpindi for investing all his hopes in the government.

Uganda has won only two Paralympic medals—a silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020—both by David Emong, who finished ninth at the Paris 2024 edition in early September.

Mpindi believes Uganda could have sent more athletes than the four who went to Paris. But he regrets that others, especially in badminton and track and field, had met the minimum entry requirement but were suddenly dropped by the International Paralympic Committee.

“That cost us more slots in Paris 2024. And now our target for Los Angeles 2028 is to qualify as many as possible via the highest entry standards,” Mpindi said, also hinting on the possibility of qualifying a team sport like goalball, sitting volleyball or wheelchair basketball for the first time.

“If some qualify through the minimum entry it will be a bonus.”

All that requires a bigger resource envelope, in the next three financial years until June 2028 to: identify and groom talents like Asiimwe, expose them to international competition and help them qualify for LA28.  

SELECT WINNERS

ALL-SPORTS

Gulu University, 523 points

ATHLETICS: UNIVERSITIES

Gulu University, 280 points

ATHLETICS SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Gulu High School, 569 points

ATHLETICS: PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Yumbe, 377 points