Challenging cerebral palsy and creating glory.. Mansour Al-Naqbi writes his story with the wheelchair basket

Disability was never a barrier to ambition. Rather, for Mansour Al Naqbi, it turned into a motivation for creating success, after he challenged cerebral palsy and moved from the watching seats at Khor Fakkan Club to one of the most prominent players of the club and the UAE national team for wheelchair basketball, in an inspiring story that confirms that the will is capable of creating champions and writing exceptional paths in the world of sports.

Mansour Al Naqbi received the honor of carrying the UAE flag at the opening ceremony of the Asian Youth Paralympic Games “Dubai 2025”, which was held this December.

Mansour Al-Naqbi (22 years old) revealed the beginning of his career with sports, and told “Emirates Today” that he was keen to come to the Khor Fakkan Club every day to follow his brothers Khamis and Hamad during their training with the basketball team for the Asians, explaining: “I used to love basketball since childhood, but it was out of reach for me, being a person of determination, even though it is a well-known sport in our city, and my brothers were distinguished players in it, in addition to my father being a handball player.”

He added: “I tried a lot to join the team, but I did not get approval. However, my insistence on practicing sports in general, and basketball in particular, did not stop, and I was armed with the determination to maintain my ambition.”

Al-Naqbi pointed out that the turning point in his career came with the formation of the wheelchair basketball team at the Khor Fakkan Club for People of Determination, under the supervision of Egyptian coach Khaled Abdel Qader Abdo, and his assistant Jassem Al-Naour, stressing that the great support he found from them contributed to his rapid development until he became a player in the ranks of the UAE national team. He said: “I feel very happy to be among the elite Arab players in this sport.”

Al-Naqbi revealed that he received an invitation to play professionally in one of the French clubs for people of determination and to participate in official competitions, but the experience was not completed due to the Khor Fakkan club’s insistence on continuing it, in addition to his family’s desire for him to remain close to them.

He said: “I compensated for that with intense work and training until I reached my current technical level.”

Al-Naqbi stressed that his career represents an inspiring message to people of determination, saying: “Life does not stop at challenges, and sports are a real weapon to alleviate suffering, and the path to success begins from scratch. I went through difficult health conditions, but sports helped me complete my secondary education and become a key player in the UAE national team, and I have many achievements.”

Mansour Al-Naqbi expressed his wish to obtain a job opportunity that would help him settle down, whether near his residence or anywhere within the country, expressing his thanks to the club management, Dr. Louay Allay, and its coaches Khaled Abdel Qader and Jassim Al-Naour.

For his part, his coach Khaled Abdel Qader told Emirates Today that the team was founded in 2014 without a training hall, and the player Mansour was following the training from abroad, which strengthened his passion for the game. He added: “Mansour graduated gradually in playing basketball until he officially joined the national team at the age of 16, to be the youngest player in its ranks, overcoming great challenges, most notably cerebral palsy, and we were keen to support him psychologically and morally on an ongoing basis.”

He pointed out that the player was keen to develop himself, even during long periods of travel for treatment, as he continued training with self-effort.

Discipline and seriousness

In turn, assistant coach Jassim Al-Naour explained that Mansour is distinguished by discipline and seriousness, as he trains two or three times a day, with great support from his father and two brothers, Khamis and Hamad. He also sometimes trained with the Al-Aswawia teams, despite being a person of determination.

He added that the player achieved the league title with the Khorfakkan Club for People of Determination for four consecutive seasons since 2021, in addition to third place in the West Asian Championship in 2024, in which 10 strong teams participated, and Mansour was its most prominent star, in addition to achieving the West Asian gold medal two years ago, and the Gulf Championship bronze medal.

Mansour Al Naqbi:

. Life does not stop at challenges, and sport is a real weapon to alleviate suffering.