Pretoria - With his eye firmly on a trip to Thailand for the U23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championship, Wiseman Dlamini said learning and bringing the knowledge home was at the top of his mind.
The sportsman, a wheelchair player and coach of the Diesel Electric Services Eagles basketball team, is part of the Gauteng wheelchair basketball team for senior men.
He said he needed the public to help him achieve this dream.
Dlamini, a team manager for the national basketball team for senior men, said the event was set to take place from August 30 to September 17.
“I need to raise around R35 000 for flights and accommodation.”
The flight tickets cost R10 000 for the return trip, and accommodation could be negotiated at a special rate of $70 (about R1 200) a night.
He said he was grateful for the opportunity given to him by the U23 team’s coach to be his assistant.
“The team has a new coach from the United States and he is teaching us new coaching and managing styles. For instance, he gave me an opportunity to be his assistant coach.
“He is teaching me to be a statistics coach and for that he gave me his iPad. So I will be the first one in South Africa to use the system,” Dlamini said.
“I want to learn more and bring knowledge back to South Africa so that we can develop our sport.”
He said those who would like to help him can email him at [email protected].
Dlamini said his basketball journey started at the age of 13 when he was a pupil at Filadelfia Special School in Soshanguve. He went on to represent the Gauteng junior basketball team and the U23 national team.
Speaking of his disability, he said contracted polio as a child which affected his right leg. He was later involved in an accident which affected his other leg. He uses crutches to walk, but when on the sports field he uses a wheelchair to play.
Dlamini is also an advocate for the development of upcoming disabled basketball players.
Pretoria News