The Texas Stampede Foundation recently was contacted by Dr. Mike Cottingham regarding a search for Wheelchair rugby equipment for countries like Bangladesh with limited resources. “We were excited to be considered in this worthwhile endeavor“ Said interim executive Director James Gumbert. “Dr. Cottingham has touched upon an area that the TSF believes in and totally supports”.
Dr. Cottingham said, “I visited Bangladesh before the pandemic as part of a research project. We found a thriving passionate community who loved disability sport, athletes who delt with substantially more barriers than we have in the US, and coaches who are committed to learning and growing their sports. What I also saw was the limitation that individuals with disabilities faced in terms of equipment. All chairs were steel and the only chairs that were available were heavy every day chairs. In a country of 166 million people there were 10 basketball wheelchairs that were made very low cost and were likely not competitive with equipment that we have had for over 30 years. The then IWRF now WWR had come to Bangladesh the year prior and hosted a brief camp where wheelchair rugby athletes used those basketball chairs for rugby. There were participants who want to play sports, hundreds of athletes with disabilities interested in playing wheelchair tennis, basketball, rugby, racing, hand cycling, table tennis, and cricket but there simply isn’t equipment. The Lab of Adaptive Athletics at the University of Houston will be sending over 60 chairs with the help of Turkish Airlines and this rugby chair is an important piece. This will allow quadriplegics the ability to get active, independent and to build a community. A chair can be used by an awful lot of people, we know this chair will change lives”.
“The TSF continues to work in our local community and beyond” said Gumbert. “It is our goal to help as many people as possible with equipment for adaptive sport”.
For more information on the Texas Stampede Foundation and how you can play a part in our mission go to www.texasstampedefoundation.org
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