From the New York Times:

After Ugandan boxer Bashir Ramathan lost his sight twelve years ago, he found himself with few options in a nation that offers virtually no assistance to people with disabilities.

For years, Ramathan hid himself away and subsisted on donations from the local mosque. Then, two years ago, he decided to return to the ring.

Now the middleweight takes on fighters who will wear a blindfold. He is being hailed as a national inspiration.

Officials in Uganda’s blind community say Mr. Ramathan has become a hero to the estimated 500,000 Ugandans who are blind.

“Here is a man who is showing that blindness is not the end of the world,” said Francis Kinubi, chairman of the Uganda Blind Sports Association.

Ramathan says he wants to start a worldwide blind boxing league.

(Photo from the New York Times)

This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 5:03 pm and is filed under blindness/visual impairments, exercise/sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post