Uganda wheelchair basketball team seek funding ahead of 2023 African Para Games

KAMPALA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's wheelchair basketball team is in final preparations ahead of 2023 African Para Games slated for September 3 in Accra, Ghana.

The Uganda Wheelchair Basketball Federation is currently seeking a fund of 100 million shillings (28,000 U.S. dollars) to set up a training camp for the team, according to federation chief Mayanja Sulaiman.

It's the first time for Uganda to compete in a team sport at a major Paralympic Games, a milestone partly attributed to better wheelchairs, Sulaiman told Xinhua.

"We want to raise over 100 mln shillings in order to run a training camp for two weeks for the wheelchair basketball team that will represent the country," said Sulaiman.

Uganda have already been drawn against host nation Ghana and Algeria. Other teams participating in the Para Games in Accra include Morocco, South Africa, Central Africa Republic, Angola, Kenya, DR Congo, Nigeria and Senegal.

The government has allocated 47.7 billion shillings for talent development and international competitions, of which 1.2 billion shillings will be used to support parasport, according to data revealed by the National Council of Sports.

Uganda qualified for the Para Games after finishing second behind Kenya in the East African Zonal Qualifiers in Dar es Salaam.

The wheelchair basketball competition in Ghana will be the 2023 African Championships, which will also determine which African nation proceeds to the Repechage tournaments for Paris 2024 Paralympic Games next April.