Para Sport Festival expands access to Para sport in Botswana
By bringing together participants from local communities, schools, and sport organisations for the Para Sport Festival, NPC Botswana aimed to raise awareness, encourage participation and provide opportunities for people to experience Para sport for the first time 05 Aug 2026
As part of its efforts to increase grassroots Para sport participation, the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Botswana staged a Para Sport Festival in July attracting over 165 participants with disabilities and around 60 coaches and community leaders who supported the event.
Held at Joyland primary school in Mochudi Village, near the capital Gaborone, the Para Sport Festival was supported by grant funding from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) through its Sport for Mobility programme. By bringing together participants from local communities, schools, and sport organisations for the Para Sport Festival, NPC Botswana aimed to raise awareness, encourage participation and provide opportunities for people to experience Para sport for the first time. Participants had the chance to try a range of sports including Para athletics field events, blind football, goalball, Para powerlifting, and wheelchair tennis.
Among those attending were representatives from the IPC, national and local government, as well as Toyota Mobility Foundation whose grant funding is enabling the IPC to implement its most ambitious global Para sport programme to-date.
Following the successful completion of two Sport for Mobility leadership development courses aimed at cultivating a new generation of Para sport leaders, NPC Botswana received additional IPC funding to support the delivery of the Para Sport Festival.
Kristina Molloy, IPC Deputy Chief Executive Officer, who attended the Para Sport Festival said: “It was fantastic to be in Mochudi Village to see first-hand the outstanding efforts NPC Botswana is making to increase Para sports participation. Witnessing the joy and grit of so many persons with disabilities trying Para sport, many for the first time, was very special. It also gave the newly trained leaders and volunteers the opportunity to create a supportive environment for these first Para sport experiences.
“The priority now is to build on this foundation as the start of sustained involvement in Para sport. We hope this Para Sport Festival inspires new participants, identifies future athletes and leaders, and encourages greater support for Para sport across Botswana.
“We were delighted that Toyota Mobility Foundation could join us for the Para Sport Festival to observe the transformational impact Sport for Mobility is having. Through Sport for Mobility, the IPC is committed to strengthening the Paralympic Movement at all levels, working in close partnership with our member organisations to develop Para sport from the ground up.”
Tshepo Mafereka, President of NPC Botswana, said: “Many Botswanans do not participate in Para sport because they are not aware of its existence and the Botswana National Paralympic Committee reaching out to the IPC is meant to grow talent in the country.
“We demonstrated these sports for children and the community of persons with disabilities for them to appreciate and carve their paths in what they are interested in.”
The IPC Sport for Mobility programme has been designed to offer tailored and targeted initiatives that meet IPC member organisations where they are. Launched in 2025, 14 customised initiatives are advancing Para sport globally, benefiting all IPC member organisations.
