Special Olympics Rwanda (SOR) exhibits the interaction between people with and without intellectual disabilities on court during a basketball clinic held at Lycée de Kigali.
On the second day of a workshop to expand the Unified Champion Schools program across the continent, SOR held an inclusive basketball clinic to highlight their achievement in progressing from inclusive education to inclusive recreation.
The clinic included fundamental basketball skills like footwork, jab steps, passing, dribbling, shooting, and layups.
With guidance from Moise Mutokambali, the National Technical Director, grassroots coaches from the Rwanda Basketball Federation taught both athletes and workshop participants that basketball serves not only as a way to showcase the talents and passion but also a way to have fun and enjoy life.
While speaking to Moise Mutokambali during the clinic, he emphasized the federation’s commitment to inclusive sports and shared his excitement about working with people with intellectual disabilities.
“The Basketball Federation actively promotes inclusive sports as well. People with intellectual disabilities are just like everyone else and deserve inclusion in basketball.” Said Mutokambali
He added, “Throughout our sessions, they demonstrated impressive skills and displayed enthusiasm for scoring and celebrating. They have a solid grasp of basketball concepts.”
The UCS program supported SOR to identify and connect students with intellectual disabilities in schools. This initiative creates a sports platform for them and fosters inclusive recreation.
With “Excellence in Action” as the motto of the workshop, Rwanda continues to highlight its achievements over the past four years, with basketball clinics being a key activity on the agenda.
Pastor Deus Sangwa, the chairman of the board for SOR, noted the importance of sharing and welcoming ideas with fellow Africans about the benefits of UCS.
“What helped us was having a clear starting point, and that’s what we shared with our colleagues. We started by engaging the government entities, including the Ministry of Education and local government administrators in charges of welfare in districts. This approach helped us to create pathways to schools and the families of people with intellectual disabilities.” Pastor Sangwa said
The chairman of the board also stated that the project could not have been realized without the support of His Highness, the President of the United Arab Emirate and ruler of Abu Dhabi.
“We are deeply grateful to His Highness Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his support. We truly appreciate it,”declared the chairman of the board for SOR.
The honored guest at the workshop was Mrs. Nelly Mukazayire, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sports. She stated that the ministry and the Rwandan government fully support this workshop, which aims to foster the exchange of ideas.
“We are so much behind this workshop, which is an expression of our country’s commitment to foster sport and to foster inclusiveness through Sports for All. So we are very excited to be with you and to host you in Rwanda, and we believe this workshop is going to be of a great opportunity and great occasion to exchange, to learn from each other, to share experiences, but also to be together.”
The workshop will continue and conclude tomorrow, September 26.
