GEORGE Gondwe (above) is nick-named as George ‘Atlanta’ after his participation as sports administrator representing Zambia in Paralympic athletics in Atlanta, USA in August 1996.
In his childhood, George suffered from Polio which left his right leg paralysed and he has been using crutches ever since.
Once an employee in the Government Ministry of Agriculture, George Gondwe had been serving as Vice President for Zambia’s National Paralympic Committee (NPC) since 2005 until 2014.
He contested stood for the position of president during the elective annual general meeting and lost to Sara Brotherton by just a vote.
George has continued to participate in the Zambia Inter-Company Relay, winning first prize twice.
He has travelled to Mozambique and South Africa, supporting Paralympic sports.
George represented Zambia in Paralympic athletics as an administrator at the 2012 Olympics in London.
During his childhood, George aspired to become a soccer star and he was well aware of a huge social mountain he needed to climb in order to fulfill his dream.
Heart-wrenching as it was for any disabled person not to be accepted in the football fraternity, Gondwe kept his soccer dream alive until he became actively involved in sports in the 1990.
His passion for soccer culminated in the formation of a clutch football team in 1993 known as Kapongolo football team in Kasama, Northern Province where he was stationed as a government employee.
His vibrancy and commitment saw him fly the Zambian flag higher in Atlanta Georgia during the 1996 Paralympic Games in the USA.
Five years later, Gondwe made another international trip to represent the country in Sydney, Australia before guiding Zambia’s paralympians to the 2011 All African Paralympic Games in Maputo, Mozambique.

Fact file
Date of birth: November 23, 1954
Place of birth: Luanshya
Sport: Paralympic football
Position played: Defender
Administrative Positions held
2005-2014 NPC vice president
1994-2001 Northern Province Amateur Football Association Coordinator
1990-1994 Kapongolo FC Coordinator
Honours
•He has won several accolades at the annual Inter-Company Relay competitions in disability categories.
•In 1998, he won the Sports Council of Zambia (SCZ) Telecel Award for his contributions and commitment to Paralympic sports.
•Gondwe currently stays in Lusaka’s ‘Tiyende Pamodzi’ community.