Uganda’s Africa No.1 women’s singles ,Fadilah Shamika Mohammed Rafi, has set her sights firmly on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as the 2026 Kampala International Badminton Future Series got underway at the Lugogo Indoor Stadium on Thursday.
The four-day tournament, which runs until September 27, has attracted 137 players from 14 countries, including Algeria, India, Malaysia, Iran, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Nepal, Sri Lanka and hosts Uganda.
Uganda has entered 56 players in the competition, with Rafi leading the country’s charge in the women’s singles.
Fresh from competing at the World Badminton Championships in New Delhi, India, as well as tournaments in West Africa, Rafi says the experience gained from her recent international campaign has prepared her for the challenge in Kampala.
The Ugandan star received a first-round bye and will begin her campaign in the second round against an Indian opponent, giving her an early opportunity to collect valuable ranking points.
For Rafi, the BWF-sanctioned tournament is about more than competing on home soil or challenging for a share of the USD 5,000 prize purse. It is another important step in her long-term quest to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games.
“I’ve been able to gather a handful of points that are actually keeping me on top right now and keeping up my rank, so I feel like these tournaments are also going to benefit me a lot,” Rafi said.
She added that maintaining her position as Africa’s top-ranked women’s singles player remains a key objective.
“I want to keep up my current rank of number one in Africa, and I hope to do so till the end so that I can have a smooth qualification process,” she said.
Rafi believes her recent competitions have also helped strengthen her game and provided valuable lessons that she can apply during the Kampala tournament.
Having focused heavily on technical work during training, she says endurance, consistency and adapting to the conditions will be crucial to her success at Lugogo.
“It’s mostly about endurance and consistency because we’ve been working a lot in training technically. I would say it’s mostly about adapting to the shuttle, to the weather and having a consistent game,” she explained.
With the LA 2028 Olympics already firmly in her sights, Rafi says she is determined to begin the qualification journey early rather than leave the challenge until the final stages.
“The LA 2028 Olympics is the dream, is the goal, and I feel like I’m doing enough preparations for it. It’s better to tackle early rather than go for it at the last minute,” she said.
