South Sudanese wheelchair basketball finds hope in new coach

South Sudanese wheelchair basketball has been blessed with the arrival of a professional coach on Tuesday to coach players, train coaches, classifiers and referees.

American Jess Markt is visiting South Sudan at the invitation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“We are excited that Jess will coach the South Sudan team. They are very motivated and we hope that this training will enable them to participate in international competitions in future,” Venkatakannan Packirisamy, ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Project manager in South Sudan said in a statement.

The ICRC and the South Sudan Wheelchair Basketball Association (SSWBA) organize weekly wheelchair basketball games to promote social inclusion for people with disabilities. They hope to expose them to the international stage.

Jess Markt has been coaching wheelchair basketball since 2009, and has trained teams in Afghanistan, India, Palestine, Cambodia and in his home state of Colorado.

He began playing wheelchair basketball at the age of 19 after suffering a spinal cord injury.

Photo Credit: VOA