South Sudanese sports officials, disability advocates and government representatives pledged to expand inclusive sports programmes for visually impaired people after a two-day workshop in Juba organised by Light for the World.
The meeting brought together representatives from Jonglei State, the Greater Pibor Administrative Area and Western Equatoria State to discuss how to increase participation by people with disabilities in sports at community and national levels.
Peter Babtist, president of South Sudan’s National Paralympic Committee and a representative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, said the country had strengthened its position in international para-sports after joining the African Paralympic Committee in 2025.
He also praised South Sudan’s national blind football team for winning a Division Two tournament in Kampala, Uganda, describing the achievement as a milestone for the country’s disability sports movement.
“The team’s success has put South Sudan on the continental map and demonstrated the potential of our athletes with visual impairments,” Baptist said, calling for greater government and public support for para-sports.
Baptist said the National Paralympic Committee, established in 2018, had faced setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic but had since resumed its activities and was now participating in regional and international events.
Hakim D. Chris, vice president of the National Paralympic Committee, urged state authorities to identify and train visually impaired athletes and establish grassroots programmes to strengthen blind football and other para-sports.
He called on the ministries of Youth and Sports and Gender, Child and Social Welfare to integrate inclusive sports into schools and community programmes, saying talented athletes should be given opportunities to compete internationally.
Sophia Mohammed, country director of Light for the World South Sudan, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting blind football as part of its Sports for Peace programme.
She said the initiative aims to help South Sudan’s national blind football team qualify for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles while promoting peace and disability inclusion.
“We also need commitment from the government to ensure these young athletes can fulfil their dreams,” Mohammed said.
She said the programme began in 2014 in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Juba, where football was used to bring together children from different communities and reduce tensions while raising awareness about disability inclusion.
“Sport has no language. It brings people together and helps spread messages of peace and inclusion,” she said.
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