Uganda: Emong Chases History in Paris Paralympic Games

The Paris Paralympic Games are underway in the French capital with Uganda among the 200 countries taking part.

As many as 4,400 athletes will compete in 22 sports across various iconic venues in Paris including at the Eiffel Tower, the Chateau de Versailles and the Grand Palais.

For the first time, the Paralympic opening ceremony was held outside of a stadium. Athletes paraded through the iconic Avenue des Champs-Elysees to Place de la Concorde before an estimated audience of 65,000 spectators who got to witness the historic moment, which highlights the host city’s commitment to accessibility and inclusivity.

Uganda’s aspirations at the Paralympic Games will be steered by two-time medalist David Emong. A winner of silver at the 1,500 T46 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics and bronze at the last edition in To- kyo, Emong will be chasing history. He is bidding to become the first Ugandan to claim three Paralympic medals in as many editions.

The T46 category, where Emong has gained worldwide fame, is for athletes who have a single above or below elbow amputation or similar disability, with normal function in both legs. Other athletes representing Uganda in Paris are swimmer Husnah Kukundakwe, who will compete in the women’s 100m butterfly S8, the 100m breastsroke SB8 and the 50m freestyle S8 in her second Paralympic games.

SB8 is for breaststroke swimmers with coordination affected to a low level, the use of one leg, one arm only or the partial absence of one limb. S8 is generally the category of swimmers who have lost either both hands or one arm.

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Similarly, athletes with severe restrictions in the joints in the lower limbs are bracketed under S8. Completing Uganda’s team in Paris are powerlifter Denis Mbazira who is penciled in for the 88kg category, and Peace Oroma who is to race in the T13 400 and 1,500m for the women.

T13 at the Paralympic Games is for runners with a visual impairment. They have a restricted field of view, their peripheral vision is limited and central vision can be a blur. Uganda’s Paralympic team at the Games is headed by the federation’s president Bumali Mpindi.

The chef de mission, however, is Patrick Synole who is coordinating a group that includes administrators, physios, coaches and media. The sports minister Peter Ogwang and National Council of Sports general secretary Dr Patrick Benard Ogwel are also in Paris to support and give guidance to the Ugandan athletes.

This will be the 10th edition of the Paralympics Uganda competes in. The first was in the 1972 in Heidelberg, Germany where Uganda had two male athletes compete in the javelin and shot put.

Uganda also had a representative at the 1976 games in Toronto in javelin but stopped taking part until 1996 in Atlanta. The latter were the first paralympic games to enjoy mass media globally.

Emong’s back-to-back medals have heightened the profile of paralympic sports in Uganda and his events will be keenly tracked by sports enthusiasts hoping to see another athlete hoisting the national flag on the international stage.