Meet the man who introduced blind football to Uganda
We’ve all known about the game of rugby since we were children. Now we have a chance to witness this sport first-hand at this year’s African Blind Union World Cup in Kenya.
If this sounds familiar – and I’m sure it does – it’s because the sport was introduced in Uganda by Mr. Nandi Kalegwe, who led the team that won the 2010 IBAF World Cup
Mr. Nandi Kalegwe is one of the most famous ambassadors of blind participation in sport in the country. He’s also the first blind person to work for the All-School Sports and Games Program (ASPG) at the Ministry of Education, Sports & Youth Development (MSYD) in Kampala.
You will never forget the first time you saw or heard Nandi Kalegwe, who was then a member of the Uganda All-School Sports and Games Club (ASG). He was wearing a pair of socks on the bottom of his feet, which didn’t affect his performance as he kicked his ball in the air above the goal.
At the time, he was the leader of the Uganda All-Sports and Games Council (AASGC).
AASGC was an initiative launched at the Kampala National Stadium in 2006 by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth Development (MSYD) in collaboration with the National Sports Authority (NASSA).
ASG club is a sports club with a different focus – to prepare people with disabilities to compete at national level.
The club started a few years ago with just a few members whose goal was to compete at the IBAF, the largest and most prestigious level of sport in Uganda. Last year, the club changed to a more holistic approach by establishing a non-profit organization called ASG Vision for a Cause.
“It’s a great honour to coach a blind person in football. My whole life I have been interested in sport, both as a young guy and now as an athlete and now as a coach. When I joined the club, I was very nervous because I knew I was the first, and the only. I can’t do this alone. My first coach in the club was Mr. Joseph Gungu, a very good friend and a very good