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On the sidelines of the recent international wheelchair tennis tournament held in Nairobi, a high-level meeting took place between Antoine Salomon Mbafu, head of the Congolese delegation, and Mrs. Martha Rotich, head of wheelchair tennis in Kenya and an influential member of the wheelchair tennis commission of the African tennis confederation (CAT).
This one-on-one meeting offered a rich exchange of experiences on the challenges, achievements, and prospects for developing the discipline on the African continent. For the congolese representative, the meeting was of great added value:
With Mrs. Martha, we had a very good conversation that allowed me to learn a lot. It is very important that we meet regularly to exchange experiences for the development of wheelchair tennis in Africa. A big thank you to her for her warm welcome, said Antoine Salomon Mbafu.
Kenya as a Model of Structuring
The Kenyan experience in structuring wheelchair tennis was at the heart of the discussions. Mrs. Rotich shared with her Congolese counterpart the history of the discipline’s introduction in Kenya, as well as the strategies that enabled their federation to progress despite limited resources.
She highlighted the crucial importance of organizing regular local and international competitions, not only to raise the athletes’ level of play but also to enable them to earn ITF points, which are essential for their international ranking. This strategy, already well-established in Europe, should, in her view, be replicated in Africa to reduce the performance gap.
A call for local development in the DRC
Mrs. Rotich strongly encouraged the congolese delegate to launch a similar dynamic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, focusing on organizing tournaments, fostering regional networking, and promoting athletes. The visibility of players, she emphasized, also depends on these events, which become true showcases for sponsors, institutions, and international partners.
The discussion also addressed the role of governments and the private sector in financing adaptive tennis. The need for sponsorship, specialized equipment, and accessible infrastructure was extensively discussed.
Major challenges for the DRC
Wheelchair tennis in the DRC is still in its early stages. The main obstacles identified include:
•lack of accessible infrastructure,
•scarcity of adapted equipment,
•absence of sponsorship,
•lack of dedicated public funding.
Despite this difficult context, an encouraging sign emerged this year with the participation of Kayembe Kabwebwe Deplick in the Nairobi tournament, which allowed him to become the first Congolese athlete to obtain an IPIN number from the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
Le Tremplin will closely follow the DRC’s upcoming initiatives in the development of wheelchair tennis, a field that deserves to be strengthened for true sports inclusion on the continent.
Editorial Team | Le Tremplin
