Kaddu Martin

DAKAR 2026 UPDATES ON TEAM UGANDA 🇺🇬🇺🇬🇺🇬🇺🇬 Team Uganda Receives Wise Counsel From NCS Chairman 🇺🇬 National Council of Sports (NCS) Chairman Ambrose Tashobya has upped the vibes in the Team Uganda camp at the Games Village in Diamniado. 🏓 Yesterday, Chairman Tashohya met the Team led by young captains Joseph Ssebatindira and Zara Marie Mbanga. He was received by Chef de Mission Lydia Gloria Dhamuzungu, Team Administrators Elijah Njawuzi and James Kasumba, and Safeguarding Officer Patricia Ayebare.🏸 🥇 "If you know you gave that race your best, that is all that we needed from you," Tashobya said as he urged the young athletes at these age-specific Games to measure success by improvement and effort, and not just medals.🥇 He pointed out that there are only three medals at stake for hundreds of atheltes in each event. "If success is only measured by medals, it means about 95% of the athletes will not have been successful."🥇 🏉It was a welcome message for those who have completed their events in table tennis, swimming, rugby sevens, rowing, and badminton. He reassured the athletes that, having made it to the small quota available, they were among the best of the best in Uganda, and urged them to write down their performances in Dakar and beat them in the future. "The person in the mirror is always the one standing between you and the best version of yourself," he said.🚣🏿‍♀️ 🇺🇬 Tashobya also underlined that supporting athletes is government's duty. "We are not doing you a favour, it's our job," he said. He acknowledged that while government is investing greatly in facilities for football, rugby, indoor games, and athletics, the lack of a standard 50m swimming pool "still pinches us hard." 🏊🏿 🏃🏿‍♂️He said new stadiums, including Hoima and Akii-Bua, and venues at universities such as Makerere, Gulu, and Lira have running tracks, and that indoor arenas at Hoima and Akii-Bua will serve indoor sports. Government is also pushing for regional sports academies with the first one set to be set up in Hoima.🏀 🏸On his part, badminton coach William Kabindi urged the government to back federations and coaches in the longterm development of athletes. "Compared to other countries, we have the shortest time of preparation," Kabindi said. "Athletes need to be trained in the knowledge that an opportunity can pop up any time."🏸 Tashobya agreed. "The work that gives you a medal here, you do it three years prior, not weeks or two to three months to the event," Tashobya said. "It's repetition, repetition, repetition over time."🚴🏿‍♀️ 🇺🇬He urged the athletes to stay in school and become wholesome individuals. "I'm a big believer in what we call a student athlete, not an athlete student," he said. "All of you can get degrees."🇺🇬