Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) has revealed its discontent with Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) decision to include professional fighters David Ssemujju and Shadir Musa Bwogi on the National Team for the forthcoming Olympics Qualifiers.
UBF feels that UOC has over-stepped their powers and rightly believe that the body should not be the one to summon the National team.
Per the letter written by UBF President Moses Muhangi, the Boxing Body has zeroed down on the decision to “excuse ourselves” from the National Team preparations.
UBF said that they do not feel “comfortable” to prevail over a team that was not selected according to their approved National Team Selection Policy and by such have no “much value to add to the process at this level.”
Muhangi, who was assigned the role of the Team Manager on the traveling contingent, has turned down the offer and role.
“I will be engaged in other pressing issues and I won’t be able to travel with the team as Team Manager.
And he has since delegated UBF General Secretary Simon Barigo to take over the role.
How Did We Reach Here?
This did not stem from Uganda actually…..
In June this year, International Olympic Committee withdrew the recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) after the report established that the IBA had failed to fulfil the conditions set by the IOC in its decision communicated earlier.
Consequently, the IOC decided that the IBA will not organise Boxing at the Olympic Games including the qualifiers as well.
In the interest of the boxing athletes and the sport of boxing, the IOC maintained boxing on the sports programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
In a meeting at UOC held in July with UBF, it was agreed that UOC will only come in where the National Federation (UBF) has not recommended athletes for participation in the Olympics Qualifiers.
It was revealed then that the Uganda Olympics Committee has the authority to enter its athletes without the recommendation of the National Federation.
However it was resolved in that meeting that UBF will cooperate, recommend boxers and work together with all the other stakeholders for the success of the Team.
UBF submitted a list of 25 boxers to UOC for consideration.
However, NOC says that most of the athletes’ passports biodata pages and passport size pictures were not availed and missing.
UOC added that their Secretary immediately contacted UBF to submit the missing requirements but some were submitted past the deadline.
It’s on this basis, UOC says, that they based on to enter the names id the athletes and officials in their possession before the system closed.
UBF has rubbished these claims!
“The above narrative is not true because we submitted all the required information in other letters,” Muhangi said.
“There is no record of you asking us for missing information either by email or hard copy, given that we last sent the long list on July 20 2023 which was exactly seven days before the team registration deadline.
“You went ahead and registered Shadir and David Ssemujju whose names were never part of the long list that we provided.”
The list by UOC has only one female boxer Grace Nankinga!
UBF feels that: “UOC had disregarded our long list and preferred to handpick those it had interest in and register them for the Boxing Olympic Qualifiers.
“That the UBF preferred road map and activity schedule leading to the qualification pathway had been disregarded as well.
“No single money had been provided to UBF for any of the support and preparation of the above processes neither by UOC nor NCS.”
