by Simon Daish
Born in Kenema, the third largest city in Sierra Leone, George is a class 4 wheelchair player boasting an impressive continental record.
Two bronze medal finishes at the 2013 and 2015 editions of the African Para Table Tennis Championships, a first for Sierra Leone, George has also collected medals at the Egypt and Morocco Opens. In December 2016, George achieved a personal best world ranking of 30th in men’s class 4.
Unable to train due to lockdown in Sierra Leone, George reveals the damaging impact the pandemic has had on him personally in an interview with official Paralympic sports:
“It has not been easy… The challenges I’m having is, first the pandemic has stopped what I love most, which is sports. And it has stopped my main income for me and my family. And even what I have now is not enough to take care of me and my family.” George Wyndham
A truly global pandemic, as of the time of writing George’s native Sierra Leone has seen over 1,300 confirmed cases of Covid-19, 55 of which have unfortunately died.
The devastating effects of the virus can also be seen throughout the communities especially centred around youth, due to schools and universities closing, a point George highlights as a major problem for the people of Sierra Leone:
“For the country as a whole, everything is in a standstill. People are grumbling, people are crying. So much violence is going around in communities, especially with the youth.” George Wyndham
Looking to play his part in helping to keep the people of Sierra Leone safe, George recently took up a role within the Emergency Operation Centre.
George’s main task is to educate people about the virus and important preventative steps such as hand washing, social distancing and wearing face masks.
“They were looking for people to help spread awareness and knowledge about the coronavirus throughout the country. As a Paralympian, I felt I could spread the message stronger. I went for the job and automatically they said ‘Yes, this is someone we need, and come these dates for training and orientation.’ So, I went for these dates and immediately I started the job.” George Wyndham
Read George’s full interview over on the official Paralympic sports website.