Have you heard of the wheelchair rugby? Well, that exists in Uganda now; a team of four players each side, racing around a pitch in their wheelchairs while passing the ball and dodging the opposite team, until they cross the goal line with the ball.
It is a quick-paced game played on a basketball-size court, although players are not allowed to make physical contact with one another’s bodies – unlike in actual rugby; anything else goes. The captain of the American Wheelchair Rugby team once said: “I always joke that it’s like crippled people smashing into each other and trying to make each other more crippled…”
In Uganda, wheelchair rugby is the brainchild of Jarius Mukoota, and it started taking shape in 2018, when he saw the need to create a platform for people with spinal cord injuries and disabilities to come together, not just for sport but for rehabilitation, empowerment, and peer mentorship.
Like in actual rugby, players in wheelchair rugby do everything in their power to prevent the person with the ball from getting it over their line. They set onto the court strapped into their wheelchairs, with gloves and knee pads and take up either side, making it their defence post.
The referee launches the ball into the air and before it lands, all the players in their wheelchairs rush forward in a scramble for it. It is difficult to comprehend how they don’t hurt one another, when you watch them play!
The mayhem as the players crash into each other sounds like a war from the medieval times as metal gnashes metal. The sound made by wheelchairs rubbing against each other at high speed, even for seconds, is like hundreds of swords clanking. As the commander shouts “charge!” the troops fall in to attack. When one team secures the ball, they charge straight to the opponent’s line.
The other team defends by smashing into whomever has the ball or cornering the closest player to intercept any possible ball passes – basic game rules. Only this time, the players fly out of their chairs onto the ground, but they laugh it off, pull themselves back into their chairs without help and continue crashing around the court.
In one of the trainings, the coach, Sebastian Bacheras, had the group change to rugby wheelchairs and split into groups of two. These $7,000-apiece wheelchairs very much resembled battered bumper cars. He said, “Let me introduce you a fun and exciting trick. This trick will make you feel alive.”
Two players were placed at either end of the court and the instructions were to smash into each other as hard as they could. The players were not so optimistic about the whole idea but gave it a go. From either end of the court, they charged at each other like fighting bulls and their chairs smashed into each other, making a loud bang.
The exhilaration and adrenaline rush could be read off the players’ faces as they rushed back to the starting point to do it again. Like children who had just discovered a new fun activity.
It is a hard contact sport, but now has many people flocking to it for various reasons, not least of the list being that it is the one place where players don’t feel discriminated against, or coddled, because of their physical disability. They meet twice a week at Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi (Lubaga campus).
MARK’S STORY
Mark Giggs Kalibbala, 40, was a very good footballer before he suffered a spinal injury. Growing up in Luzira, he went through school on sports bursaries at Lubiri SS and Africana Whiteland College (currently Seroma Christian High School). Kalibbala refused to give up on his sports career and passion even when life changed for him.
“I had to adapt to parasport and that is when I started playing wheelchair basketball in 2014.”
He has managed to become a jack of all trades when it comes to parasports. He plays wheelchair tennis, basketball and rugby.
“I took up rugby to keep my body fit, be able to socialize with more [people like me]; at some point it is a source of income, especially when we are at the national team engagements and because it has promoted my visibility in society, many organisations and groups now flock to me to be a role model to their members.”
JARIUS’S STORY
Jarius Mukoota was spurred by his own injuries and story of healing, to help others.
“My life changed forever in 2008 when I sustained a spinal cord injury in an accident. In an instant, everything I thought I knew about my future came crashing down. I was overwhelmed with fear, confusion, and a sense of loss. Adjusting to my new reality was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do—physically, emotionally, and mentally. There were days when I felt defeated, but slowly, I began to find strength in the small victories and support from others. Over time, I realized that my injury didn’t mean my life was over; it meant I had a new purpose. That realization inspired me to start the Uganda Wheelchair Rugby Foundation.”
“I was drawn to wheelchair rugby because it’s more than a sport; I wanted to create a platform where others could experience this transformation—where they could rebuild their confidence, find peer support, and demonstrate that disability is not inability. Playing wheelchair rugby has been an incredible experience for me. It’s not just about the competition—it’s about rehabilitation, staying active, and connecting with others who share similar experiences.”
GEOFFREY’S STORY
Geoffrey Wakulila, 41, from Buloba, got his spinal cord injury in a lorry accident in 2014. He started his rugby journey this year; talk about new-year resolutions!
“I chose rugby after a friend told me about it and because it is an interesting game that will help me become stable and stay healthy.”
Without any major sponsors, the club leveraged partnerships, community support and their own fundraising efforts to get registered at the National Council of Sports, and become affiliated with the Uganda National Paralympic Committee during their annual general assembly in 2021.
That same year, they were affiliated and licensed by World Wheelchair Rugby League. Since then, the club has been steadily growing, running programs to promote disability sports, raise awareness, and inspire others to realize that disability is not inability.
The training camps are organized at least once every year based on the availability of resources, international partnerships, and the needs of the team. For instance, they held a recent camp at the MTN arena with professional players and coaches from Spain, which was an incredible experience for everyone involved.
Through the training programs they have been conducting, the club aims to identify and nurture talent that can represent Uganda on the international stage, which is forming a national wheelchair rugby team.
When there isn’t a camp, they maintain a consistent training schedule to ensure the players stay active and improve their skills, training twice a week, focusing on physical conditioning, wheelchair rugby techniques, and team strategies.
“My inspiration to start the Uganda Wheelchair Rugby Foundation came from my personal journey. I realized how important it was to have a sense of purpose, community, and a way to stay active,” Mukoota said.
All the participants The Observer talked to had one thing in agreement: the environment of playing the game with their colleagues is freeing and comforting.
They get to have honest, open conversations and still joke about their situation with people that understand how they feel. The ambiance at the training sessions is welcoming to the participants and they feel safe, appreciated and celebrated for what they each can do.
ashleymwesigye@gmail.com