Special Olympics Malawi tennis partners to attend World Tennis Invitational

Female tennis athlete jumping up in the air for joy. She's holding her racquet in her left hand, has a white tennis skirt and a yellow Special Olympics t-shirt. — Malawi tennis player Mphatso Chiphwanya, one of over 200 athletes competing in this year’s Special Olympics World Tennis Invitational, celebrates a match victory at the 2015 Los Angeles World Games.

Athletes Mphatso Chiphwanya and Bridget Kaunda from Malawi, Africa will be competing in this year’s Special Olympics World Tennis Invitational. The two met from being fellow tennis partners in their hometowns in Chilobwe Township. Mphatso faced discrimination on the courts but found comfort and confidence playing with Bridget. Now, the two are heading to Santo Domingo for the event in November as part of the ongoing initiative to “Stand Up for Inclusion.”

The Dominican Republic will host the World Tennis Invitational Tournament and the Special Olympics Global Athletes Congress, to be held in Santo Domingo from 9–17 November, 2018 with the participation of 220 athletes like Mphatso and Bridget. In celebration of the 50th Anniversary, the Special Olympics World Tennis Invitational will be a unifying world class tennis tournament driven by youth leadership and focused on sustainable high quality sports development.

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