Uganda fields 24 players as Para Badminton International opens

Uganda has entered 24 players in the 2026 Para Badminton Uganda International, which rolled off at Lugogo Indoor Arena on Tuesday.

However, the tournament has faced a challenge after it ended up with only eight participating nations, down from the initial 28 countries that had been expected.

Many teams withdrew following warnings over the Ebola pandemic in Uganda, which have been in place since last month.

The withdrawals left only 42 athletes in the competition.

Uganda boasts the largest contingent with 24 players competing across various men's and women's categories, followed by Nigeria with 11 players.

Nazziwa believes this year's international championship presents a golden opportunity to win her first singles gold medal, despite the reduced level of competition following the withdrawal of several nations.

"Although Ugandan players now have a better chance of winning more medals, the level of competition is not as high as we had anticipated. We were informed that several countries withdrew because of the Ebola scare," Nazziwa said.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) member William Blick also expressed disappointment over the reduced participation, saying the championship had lost some of its usual competitiveness.

"We would have witnessed the usual excitement and high level of competition, but many countries withdrew. I thank the countries that chose to remain hopeful and honored the invitation to participate," Blick said.

Nigeria's head coach, Samuel Ekoma, also regretted the late withdrawals, noting that some countries pulled out at the last minute, including India, one of the traditional powerhouses in para badminton.

"It is unfortunate that the numbers dropped, but I applaud Badminton Uganda for staging the championship. The players still have the opportunity to compete and, most importantly, earn valuable international ranking points," Ekoma said.

Badminton Uganda Chief Executive Officer Simon Mugabi confirmed that despite the reduced participation, the championship will proceed as scheduled until Sunday.

In the opening matches, Sarah Nazziwa defeated Pamera Banura 2-0 in the Wheelchair WH1 category, while David Mukisa registered a 2-0 victory over Israel's Viktor Haziza in the SL3 (Standing Lower 3) category.

The tournament was preceded by a referees and umpires' course, which was conducted at Lugogo Arena from July 4.