Uganda will look to defend its Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) title as the 21st edition of the games begins on Friday, August 16, in the Eastern part of the country.
The event will be hosted by Bukedea Comprehensive School, with other games played at Amus College and Teso College.
On Wednesday, Minister of State for Sports Peter Ogwang officially flagged off the Ugandan delegation, which will be represented by a record-breaking 1,690 participants. This is the highest number of participants a single country has ever sent to the FEASSSA Games.
“We have prepared our athletes very well, from school level to district and national level,” said Justus Mugisha, President of the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA).
“We have picked the best of the best to make sure that Team Uganda defends the title they have won for the last three years.”
Mugisha also expressed his pride in Uganda hosting this year’s games and emphasized the efforts made to prepare the sports venues specifically for the event.
“Bukedea now boasts a brand new 10,000-seater stadium, an indoor arena with a 4,000 capacity, and a semi-Olympic swimming pool,” Mugisha noted. “Amus has a stadium with a high-capacity seating, a well-maintained pitch, and a running track. Additionally, we have new grass pitches and basketball courts.”
This year’s FEASSSA Games will feature over twelve disciplines, including football, basketball, lawn tennis, table tennis, badminton, swimming, athletics, rugby, volleyball, handball, and hockey. New games and classification matches have also been introduced to the tournament.
FEASSSA is an annual event that brings together students from East African secondary schools to compete in various sports disciplines.
The organizers have implemented strict measures to ensure fair play, with a focus on preventing ineligible players from participating.
“Non-bonafide players are strictly not allowed to play in our games,” Minister Ogwang warned. “In the past, we’ve seen athletes as old as 35 competing against 18-year-olds, which defeats the fair play rule and will not be tolerated in this tournament.”
Minister Ogwang urged the athletes to focus on bringing home gold medals. “As you go to Bukedea, you are not going for merry-making, you are going for a competition. Make sure you bring gold medals to Uganda,” he emphasized.
In the previous FEASSSA Games held in Huye, Rwanda, Uganda claimed a total of 37 medals, including 17 gold, 11 silver, and 9 bronze. The nation hopes to replicate or surpass that success as they host this year’s event.
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