Elizabeth Mwesigwa poses for a picture after receiving the Most Determined Player of the Championships award.

Gulf Today, Sports Reporter

Uganda’s Elizabeth Mwesigwa is an epitome of courage and perseverance.

For Mwesigwa, who picked up badminton in 2017, Para Badminton is about inspiring the disabled people of her country to play sport and change the mindset of the people towards disability.

“In my country, I see many people with disabilities sit on the street and start begging for money. I play Para Badminton to inspire this section of the people in my country. I want to change people’s perception who say that people with disabilities cannot do this or that!” said Mwesigwa who is a regular at the Fazza-Dubai Para Badminton International every year.

This year she might have exited from the Fazza-Dubai Para Badminton International 2023 event in the round robin stage but she has a silver medal (women’s doubles SL3-SU5 event) at the African Para Badminton Championships to be proud about.

Mwesigwa, who was born with a condition where she walks with her knee, is an inspiration to many Para shuttlers in her country including Ritah Asiimwe. “She has overcome so many hurdles and despite such severe disability she makes sure to come to training and play competitions,” said Assimwe.

Touched by Mwesigwa’s story right from the beginning where she faced difficult to get the shoe for her knee to continue playing the sport and now running an organisation to help disabled children, the Dubai Club for People of Determination awarded her the Most Determined Player of the Championships with a trophy and cash.