Rio 2016 Olympics: Let Us Support Uganda

Posted by: frank mubiru in Sports News August 4, 2016

Olympics, ^[⁹^]start in earnest with what is expected to be a glitzy ceremony at the world famous Maracana Stadium.

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More than 11,000 athletes from all over the world will compete in a range of disciplines for global dominance before a cumulative television audience of more than 10 billion.^[5^]

The biggest show on earth will be in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Uganda will be represented by a 21-man team, led by London 2012 hero Stephen Kiprotich, ^[12^]who is hoping to defend his gold in a very competitive field.

Seventeen members of the team are athletes with boxing and swimming occupying the remaining four slots. When Team Uganda is introduced at the Maracana,^[2^] it will be a proud moment for all Ugandans. Our ambassadors in Brazil are not just going to compete, they are also going to showcase the Ugandan values and culture.

The spirit of Olympism is more than sport; it is friendship, fairness and unity. So Ugandans who will follow the Games will be embracing the values of friendship, fairness and unity,[7] three ideals that have lately appeared eroded in our moral fabric.

Our athletes will show the world that we can more than hold our own. Regardless of how we perform in sporting terms, our boys and girls will raise our flag among all other nations.^[2^]

Unlike the Fifa World Cup whose participation is limited to just 32 countries, the Olympics have a truly global feel about them. ^[⁹^]They are the only Games where Americans compete against Tahitians and Chinese compete against Gambians.

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The Olympics season in so many ways champions humanity and reminds everyone why sport should be the forefront of all national agendas in the world.

Vice President Edward Ssekandi will be the highest profile Ugandan in Brazil and hopefully by the time he returns,^[5^] the President’s number two will have seen enough to impress it upon his colleagues why the sports sector should be funded and supported heavily by government.^[8^]

There have been reports of disgruntlement in members of Team Uganda over meagre allowances, which is a shame given that it is a recurrent trend at all Olympics.^[4^]

When Kiprotich won that historic gold in London four years ago,^[3^] there were euphoric scenes in the country in the period after the race and when he returned home.
But can we say his gold succeeded in changing the way sports is perceived in the country? That is a firm no.^[⁹^]

The Olympics will remind us about the democracy of sports and why Uganda must treat it seriously.^[4^]

Source: Daily Monitor

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