AFRICAN SPORTS MONTHLY
'Sports is our Business'
  • Home
  • NEWS
  • Radio
  • TV

Uganda Government To Honour Sports Heroes

5/5/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Kampala, Uganda, May 05: President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has pledged to render special state support to the country’s sporting heroes   to appreciate the contribution they made to their country.

The Ugandan leader made the pledge recently when he met former national boxing national boxing coach and Olympian Peter Seruwagi.

President Museveni move comes as recognition of the economic hardships many of the country’s former sporting hero’s and families face after serving their country in sporting arena.

Many of the former sports stars in the country are reported to be living in abject poverty in various parts across the country, despite the contribution they made towards development of sports and the country’s global prestige.


According to the country’s media, the state of poverty most of the former sports stars are in has led to premature death of some of them who had they lived would have contributed further towards development of sports in the country.

The President acknowledged that government had not done enough towards former sportsmen and sportswomen for their contribution to the country.

 But he attributed the situation to insecurity due to civil wars that had racked the country for decades as a major factor that had diverted government attention to attend to the needs of the country’s sports heroes.

He said time is now ripe for the country to start looking after former sports personalities or their families.

“We should look them up and help them or their families. They made a contribution to their country but because of the insecurity we had in our country we did not follow this up,” Museveni was quoted by The New Vision as saying Tuesday.

Uganda like most African countries do not have retirement policy for sportsmen this has had led to many of them experience financial hardship in the event they have quit the sporting arena.

The country’s The New Vision described the 83 year-old Seruwagi as the most successful boxing coach and that as a boxer in his hey days, he represented the country at various competitions continental and globally like the 1960 Rome Olympic Games.

“Besides being Uganda’s most successful coach, Seruwagi, 83, also carried the national flag as a boxer. He represented Uganda at the 1960 Rome Olympics,” the publication reported.

“He was a welterweight at these games where boxing legend Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali also featured,” it added.

It also recalled that the former pugilist also held many stage show boxing bouts with former Ugandan dictator, President Idi Amin one of which was the curtain raiser before the 1976 Africa Championship at Lugogo.

Sports personalities are reported to have welcomed the initiative that President Museveni has come up with in recognition of outstanding sports personalities in the country. 

By: Joel Chirwa
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Menu

    All
    2014 FIFA World Cup
    Athletics
    Basketball
    Boxing
    Commonwealth Games
    Cricket
    Golf
    Hockey
    Marathons
    News
    Olympics
    Rugby
    Soccer
    Spotlight
    Tennis
    Track And Field
    Volleyball
    Women Soccer
    Wrestling


    Picture

    RSS Feed


    Tweets by ASMONTHLY

Tweet to @ASMONTHLY

Contact Us

    Contact Us

Submit

Donate & Support Our Efforts at African Sports Media Network