Special Olympics Uganda has embarked on preparations that will see them send athletes to compete in the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 in Germany.

The road map kicked off on Wednesday with a three-day workshop for Uganda Special Olympics coaches at Protea Hotel, facilitated by the Project Manager Tobias Antoni from Special Olympics Germany.

For the next four months, Antoni will carry out training in different regions across the country to empower teachers and coaches on how to use sport as a tool to educate children, youth and coaches in regards to what is important when doing sports in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Project manager Tobias Antoni from Special Olympics Germany. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

“This project is called inclusion through Sport and is funded by the GIZ an organization that works on the field on international development and they also have a section that is working in the field of sport for development and we have been honoured that they support us in the field of inclusive sport and in the field of Special Olympics (unified sports),” Antoni said

Unified sport is a term that describes inclusive sport that unites people with and without intellectual disabilities together.

“This partnership is between Special Olympics Germany and Special Olympics Uganda and Special Olympics Kosovo. We are implementing unified sports workshops and developing the capacities of Special Olympics Uganda and Special Olympics Kosovo in regards to unified sports development.

Antoni interacts with some of the coaches at the workshop. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

“So, we are developing unified sports multipliers. The partnership covers workshops including the first at Protea and three other workshops in different regions in Uganda where we are developing teachers and coaches on the concept of unified sports,” Antoni stated.

The national director of Special Olympics Uganda, Genevieve Bamwidhukire, said the workshop is a big thing to them because they were looking at springing out opportunities to be able to provide inclusive sport for all with a target to compete at the World Games.

“We think this is a very good opportunity that is going to give the athletes that we have the opportunity in the villages to be able to play unified sports.

“We always have challenges when it comes to training and funding for the games but we are looking at this as an opportunity to train all the athletes and give them a chance to get professional expertise from the coaches that are undergoing training,” Bamwidhukire stated.

“The projects we are going to do are going to awaken all the athletes and it is going to be like a motivation for them to come out to do sport again so that they can come out and play. That is why we are starting early so that we can be able to train them and have the team ready in time,”.

She said they are training trainers that will be able to go out in the field and train other coaches and do a multiplier.

Uganda will be hoping to field athletes in the disciplines of Football, Athletics, Table Tennis, and Swimming at the World Games.