All is set for the 2019 Uganda Para-badminton Championship, scheduled for April 21-28, 2019 at MTN Indoor in Lugogo.
This will be the third edition after previously held in 2017 and 2018.
Simon Mugabi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Badminton Association (UBA) confirmed the development during a press briefing at Lugogo.
“We are having other 26 countries to take part and these will arrive starting from tomorrow (Thursday),” Mugabi revealed. “It will be a big tournament and we are ready for the event. We appeal to you, let’s be together and support team Uganda.”
Mugabi added that Uganda will use the tournament as a precursor for the upcoming Para-Badminton Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
Uganda will have the highest number of entries with 35 participants. India will follow with 27 players. Over 200 players are expected to take part.
Hadijja Kamuka (Mbogo) and Elizabeth Mwesigwa will carry Uganda’s hopes in the tournament.
There will also be an AGTOS program, an arm of IPC, to develop athletes to become better players. Six counties Benin, Burundi, DRC, Central Africa Republic, Zimbabwe and Uganda will take part in the said program where there will be a workshop to train coaches.
The categories to be competed in include: Two wheelchair classes (WH), two standing classes for lower limb impairment (SL), one standing class for upper limb impairment (SU) and one class for short stature athletes (SS).
Big Concerns
President Para Olympics Mpindi Bumaali expressed a great concern of inadequate equipment that have hindered Uganda’s progress in the tournament.
“We have ten wheel chairs. There is that challenge in equipment but we hope that the government comes in to help.”
National Council of Sports’ Head of Corporate Affair Ismail Dhakaba Kigongo who was tasked to comment on the issue of Power availability in the Arena, explained:
“We are aware of this big concern, but it’s not affecting Badminton alone but this has been the case for Basketball and Volleyball.
“We are hoping that Power will be on throughout but it’s out of our control as NCS. However, a process to procure a powerful generator is in the pipeline.”
The 27 Countries
Austria, Benin, Brazil, Burundi, Central Africa Republic, DR Congo, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, USA and Zimbabwe
