DRC wheelchair title lifts Central Africa’s para-sport profile

President Félix Tshisekedi has honored DR Congo’s women’s U25 wheelchair basketball team after their continental triumph in Kinshasa, a moment that extends beyond a single trophy and reinforces the country’s growing visibility in African para-sport, according to an Actualite.cd report.

The Congolese side beat Kenya 60-24 in the final of the U25 IWBF Africa Women’s Championship at the Stade des Martyrs gymnasium, sealing the title on home soil and booking Africa’s qualification place for the 2027 IWBF U25 Women’s World Championship.

The result also underlined Kinshasa’s role as a host city for a tournament designed to widen the reach of women’s wheelchair basketball on the continent.

A secondary report from Kenya’s Radio Generation said DR Congo completed a second win over Kenya during the tournament and confirmed that the championship served as the qualifier for the 2027 global competition. That framing places the victory in a broader regional context: it was not only a home success for the Congolese team, but also a milestone for the development of women’s wheelchair basketball in Africa.

During the reception, Tshisekedi praised the players for projecting the DRC in a positive light, as the team presented the trophy after a campaign that ended with qualification for the next world championship cycle. In regional terms, the title strengthens Central Africa’s presence in elite wheelchair basketball and gives the DRC a higher-profile role in the sport’s continental pathway.