The State minister for sports Hon. Peter Ogwang arrived iis in Senegal for the ongoing Youth Olympics games hosted by Dakar city.
The minister, in the company of National of sports (NCS) board chairperson Ambrose Tashyobya, and General Secretary Dr. Bernard Patrick Ogwel, are engaging key stakeholders in Senegal for a number of strategic sports partnerships.
“Of course you all know that these Olympics games are one of our priority sports, and we are meant to have meetings here as ministers of sports specifically to plan on how these young people’s games are meant to proceed. This is the right age for the identification of the best athletes who must be able to pursue their careers to the professional level,” noted the minister.
Uganda is represented by 17 male and 8 female athletes in seven sporting disciplines, including Athletics, Swimming, Rugby Sevens (boys’ team making its Youth Olympics debut), Rowing (beach sprints), Badminton, Table Tennis, and Cycling.
“Normally when I come here, I look at strategic partnerships. You very well know that Senegal is a super power of football on the continent, I have had a few communications with my counterpart – the minister of sports in Senegal. I intend to visit one or two projects specifically on national sports academies on how they are performing,” added Ogwang.
Uganda’s competition at this year’s youth Olympics continues this Tuesday with athletes in swimming, table tennis and rowing.
At the Rowing Coastal Beach Sprints, Marcel Otim competes in Mixed Relays, Arthur Mwase will be in 400m free style swimming while Peyton Suubi will swim in the 100m breaststroke. In badminton, Bukenya Ramiah takes on Poperezhai.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s U-18s have finished eighth (8th) in the Sevens Rugby competition at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal after losing 10-5 to hosts Senegal. Plenty of lessons picked by the teenage side that fell short of any win at the highly competitive games.
