Yirol Giants have been crowned champions of a two-day wheelchair basketball tournament organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Nimra Talata Basketball Stadium in Juba, bringing together six teams from across the state to compete.
The tournament aimed to promote inclusion, encourage participation in sports among people with disabilities, and provide athletes with opportunities to showcase their talents under the theme, one game, one community, and equal opportunity for all.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Peter Baptist Abakar, President of the South Sudan National Paralympic Committee, praised the players for their performance, describing the standard of wheelchair basketball as impressive.
“I am affiliated with the African Paralympic movement, and in the same year, South Sudan also became affiliated with the International Paralympic Committee. I am very happy to witness wheelchair basketball here today,” Abakar said.
He added that he had previously played basketball in Sudan with a university national team and expressed optimism about the future of wheelchair basketball in South Sudan.
Abakar pledged to work with the ICRC, potential donors, and other well-wishers to strengthen the sport and create opportunities for South Sudanese athletes to compete at regional, continental, and international levels.
“Sports is a fundamental human right. Nobody should be discriminated against. Whether you have a physical disability or not, you have the right to participate in sports if you wish. Disability does not mean inability; you still have abilities,” he said.
He urged the athletes to remain committed to their sporting careers, adding that South Sudan had recently made significant progress in Paralympic sports.
Abakar highlighted the country’s achievement in blind football, revealing that South Sudan participated in a Division Two competition hosted in Uganda in September 2025, where the team achieved notable success.
He said the team had initially expected to participate mainly for experience but ultimately returned to Juba with the trophy and 14 gold medals. The team also secured individual awards, including Best Player, Best Defender.
According to Abakar, the competition was initially expected to feature six countries: Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, the Central African Republic, Senegal, and South Sudan. However, only Uganda, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe eventually participated.
He further encouraged wheelchair basketball players to continue training and working hard, expressing confidence that they could one day represent South Sudan in international competitions.
Abakar recalled a previous friendly wheelchair basketball match involving South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), saying the country’s players had demonstrated their potential by defeating one of their opp
He also revealed that South Sudan was preparing for blind football qualification competitions scheduled for November ahead of the 2027 World Cup while encouraging athletes to pursue opportunities to participate in major international sporting events.
Meanwhile, Adeng Leek, undersecretary in the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, congratulated the participants and called for continued support for athletes with disabilities.
Leek said she was pleased to attend the event and promised to be present from the beginning at future tournaments.
“I want to congratulate those who have made it. And for those who did not finish first, whether you came second or third, you can still succeed next time. There are no losers here; you are all winners,” she said.
She encouraged the athletes not to be discouraged by their results, emphasizing that participation, determination, and continuous improvement were equally important.
Leek also expressed hope that the players would continue improving their performance and eventually compete successfully on the international stage.
She called on the sporting community and the ICRC to maintain their support for wheelchair basketball and other sporting activities involving people with disabilities.
