Shoot That Invisible Ball! How A Top Wheelchair Player Keeps Up Her Game In Lockdown

KANDAL PROVINCE — Twice a day Sinet An sits down on a red plastic chair in the back of her small beverage shop and shoots an invisible basketball in front of a tablet.

A top scorer and fierce defender on Cambodia’s Women’s Wheelchair Basketball National Team, Sinet continues to train with her teammates despite the pandemic, which has prevented them from practicing, scrimmaging, or traveling to tournaments like they used to.

Cambodia was largely spared from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, but an outbreak first detected in February 2021 led to lockdowns and travel restrictions in many parts of the country.

Sinet, who was born with a disability, was introduced to the sport in 2013 and leads the Kampong Speu Golden Bees, one of three wheelchair basketball teams currently playing in Cambodia.