Five days of learning, a lasting connection

Spanish players Oriol Monras Navarro and Pau Navarro Baches spent five days in Kampala in January 2025 sharing wheelchair rugby knowledge with Ugandan athletes at Lugogo Indoor Arena.

Daily Monitor reported that the visitors began with the fundamentals: rules, chair roles, passing, positioning, timing, attack, and defence. The sessions gave players a structured introduction and local organisers a clearer picture of what regular training could become.

Knowledge offered directly

The two players funded the visit themselves. Their experience included Spanish club and national-team wheelchair rugby, while Navarro had previously supported training in several African countries. That combination brought both technical knowledge and an understanding of how the sport develops where equipment is scarce.

The reporting described differences between attacking and defensive chairs and the importance of becoming useful on both sides of play. It also recorded the visitors' encouragement to train consistently so skills, confidence, and interest can grow together.

The equipment gap

A competition chair can cost thousands of euros before transport, fitting, and maintenance. Uganda's athletes therefore depend heavily on donations and partnerships while the federation works toward a sustainable equipment base and access to indoor training.

The exchange helped establish relationships and a shared technical language before the larger international programmes that followed. UWRF remembers it as an early example of friendship translated into practical learning.