In South Sudan, wheelchair basketball distracts from war
JUBA, South Sudan — Warnings of possible genocide hang over the world’s youngest nation, but here on a basketball court under a fierce morning sun, South Sudan’s civil war seems a world away.
Flashing up and down the court in blue and yellow jerseys, the players laugh and sweat as their wheelchairs jostle for position.
This wheelchair basketball tournament in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, is the culmination of a two-week training session run by Jess Markt, a coach from Colorado who has led similar programs in countries ravaged by conflict.
The disabled young South Sudanese men, drawn from various ethnic groups, are split into four teams that compete as dozens of spectators cheer them on.