African para-athletes praise Commonwealth Games inclusivity

What the report says

BBC Sport Africa reports that several leading African para-athletes at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow say the event’s integrated format is helping improve public attitudes toward disability and para-sport on the continent. Unlike the Paralympics, the Commonwealth Games includes para events within the same overall programme, with medals counting equally in national tables. The approach began at Manchester 2002, and Glasgow 2026 is staging a record 47 para events across six of the 10 sports that remain after the Games were reduced in scale.

Ugandan swimmer Husnah Kukundakwe, who is captaining her national team, told the BBC that sport can drive recognition, funding and sponsorship for para-athletes. Kukundakwe, born without a lower right arm, competed at the Tokyo Paralympics at age 14, later appeared at Birmingham 2022 and carried Uganda’s flag at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. She is targeting Uganda’s first Commonwealth swimming medal in the 100m breaststroke SB8 and is also entered in the 100m freestyle S9.

Mauritian wheelchair racer Noemie Alphonse said visibility at major Games has made people at home see disabled athletes as contributors to national success. She is seeking a first Commonwealth medal after finishing sixth in the T54 1500m in 2022. Ghanaian para-powerlifter Tahiru Haruna, who finished seventh in Glasgow, said he works in schools and communities to challenge stigma and encourage inclusion in sport.

The BBC also noted that para events can be a major medal route for African teams. Nigeria won three golds and three silvers in para-powerlifting on the opening day, while the first gold awarded at these Games went to para-powerlifter Mark Swan of England.