SPORT - The African Mirror

Sep

10

2024

History-making Refugee Paralympic Team shows the power of sport to inspire

SPORT

THE Paris 2024 Paralympic Games concluded on Sunday with a raucous closing ceremony and memories of a highly successful ten days of competition for the Refugee Paralympic Team. Eight athletes and one guide runner participated in six of the 22 sports at Paris 2024, winning historic bronze medals in the women’s Para taekwondo K44-47kg category and in Para athletics in the men’s T11 400m. While these were the first-ever medals for the Refugee Paralympic Team (RPT), there were many other inspirational performances. After meeting the athletes in Paris this week, Ruven Menikdiwela, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, praised their determination. “I told…

Sep

09

2024

By The African Mirror

Refugee Paralympic Team leaves Paris with historic medals and lasting legacy

SPORT

ZAKIA Khudadadi, the Refugee Paralympic Team’s (RPT) historic first medal winner, will lead the team out of Paris as the flagbearer at the Paralympic Closing ceremony on Sunday, marking the end of a stunning Paris 2024 Paralympics. Since August 28, eight refugee athletes and one guide runner have competed in six of the 22 sports – Para athletics, Para powerlifting, Para table tennis, Para taekwondo, Para triathlon, and wheelchair fencing. Khudadadi – competing in women’s Para taekwondo K44-47kg – and Guillaume Junior Atangana – competing in Para athletics in the men’s T11 400m – took home the RPT’s first-ever medals,…

Sep

06

2024

By The African Mirror

Tatjana Smith bids farewell to swimming and sets sights on empowering the next generation of female athletes

SPORT

FOLLOWING her decision to retire during the Paris Olympics, swimmer Tatjana Smith revealed that financial pressure contributed to her decision to hang up her swimming suit.Reasons for Retirement At 27 years of age, in peak form, no one could have seen South African swimmer Tatjana Smith's retirement coming. Even Smith herself did not know that she would be taking the retirement route so soon in her life. However, Smith felt it was just the right time for her to walk away from the sport she loved and dedicated 22 years of her life to. In a 22-year time frame, Smith swam…

Sep

04

2024

By The African Mirror

Atangana adds to Refugee Paralympic Team medal tally with 400m bronze

SPORT

REFUGEE athlete Guillaume Junior Atangana ran an outstanding race at Paris’ Stade de France taking third place in the men’s 400m in a personal best time of 50:89, securing a historic second medal for the Refugee Paralympic Team. “I am very happy to have this medal. It shows that the Paralympic movement is galvanising for refugees and it is an honour for me: I wrote my name in history,” said the sprinter, widely known as Junior. “The message I have for all refugees in the world is to believe in yourself!” Junior’s success follows the Refugee Paralympic Team’s first-ever medal…

Aug

30

2024

By The African Mirror

A new star is born: SA’s Bayanda Walaza blazes to double gold in Lima

SPORT

IN a stunning display of raw talent and unstoppable determination, 18-year-old Bayanda Walaza has set the track world ablaze, clinching gold in the under-20 men's 100m and 200m at the World Championships in Lima, Peru. This electrifying victory comes mere weeks after his sensational Olympic debut in Paris, where he stormed to silver in the 4x100m relay. The young phenom, dubbed "Wobble Wobble" for his unorthodox running style, proved that unconventional can indeed be unbeatable. With his head rocking and arms flailing, Walaza exploded from the blocks, stumbled, recovered and left his competitors in a cloud of dust as he…

Aug

29

2024

By The African Mirror

NBA Africa on a mission to popularize Basketball in South Africa

BASKETBALL

IN recent years, South Africa has become one of the African countries that have struggled to perform on the African, and global basketball stages. As a result, nurturing talent from the grassroots level has been a challenge, and Basketball South Africa’s current financial state warrants concern. In an effort to make a change, NBA Africa’s Head of Social Responsibility, Mthoko Madonda in this interview discusses efforts to grow the sport in South Africa, financial support, nurturing coaches, and interest from young children. Growing the game: Basketball in South Africa ranks among many of the unpopular sporting codes, often overshadowed by…

Aug

28

2024

By KRISTY SIEGFRIED

Refugee athlete and guide united in their quest for Paralympic gold

ATHLETICS

A week before the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Guillaume Junior Atangana and his guide and fellow refugee Donard Nyamjua received a surprise call from the President of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons. Junior, as many call him, was overjoyed and touched when the President informed him that he would be carrying the flag into the Opening Ceremony for the Refugee Paralympic Team, accompanied by Donard. “I’m very moved and happy really to have this announced by the President. It gives me shivers and I’m really happy. I can already picture it in my head. I see myself as a big…

Aug

24

2024

By SILALEI SHANI, BIRD STORY AGENCY

bird’s basketball roundup: After the Olympics, the focus is on the World Cup

BASKETBALL

THE pre-qualifying tournament for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup kicked off this month in Kigali, Rwanda and Mexico City, Mexico. Winners from each of the tournaments will proceed to the World Cup Qualifiers. The Rwanda edition kicked off on the 19th of August and will run until the 25th at Kigali’s BK Arena, where 8 teams are competing for only 1 spot in the global qualifiers. Two African teams, including Rwanda and Senegal, are participating in Kigali. Rwanda qualified as host and is competing in Group D against Great Britain, Lebanon, and Argentina. Senegal is battling it out…

Aug

20

2024

By The African Mirror

New opportunities for aspiring Namibian cricketers

SPORT

AS part of its ongoing support for grassroots cricket around the world DP World has taken its Beyond Boundaries Initiative to Namibia, delivering kits for young cricketers and a unique repurposed shipping container to act as their pavilion. This takes the total number of kits delivered to the game’s grassroots to 2,500, fulfilling the pledge made during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. The container arrived at its new home at the Kuisebmund Stadium Complex in Walvis Bay having been transported nearly 2,000 km from Johannesburg in South Africa through DP World’s end-to-end smart logistics capabilities. It will act as…

Aug

19

2024

By The African Mirror

Paris 2024: Samson Deen backs Africa to produce multiple world Paralympic champions

SPORT

IF the African tone set at the just ended Paris 2024 Olympics Games is anything to go by, then it's appropriate to suggest that Africa's 205 para-athletes per the available data on the 2024 Paris Paralympics Games website, will not just be participants at the Games, but contenders. "Competing well is paramount for us at the African Paralympic Committee (AfPC). I'm excited to see African athletes prepared to represent our continent with pride," said Samson Deen. Despite Africa's passion for podium highlights, its representation has shrunk by 29.1%, 84 less compared to Tokyo 2020. Africa for Gold "To improve on…