Samson Opus
27 December 2011
Ugandan boxers are again in danger of missing the Olympics Games because of the unending chaos in the sport.
The Olympics will be held in London next year.
Uganda missed out on the last edition of the world’s biggest sporting event held in China in 2008.
The last Africa qualifier for the London show is due in March 2012 but there is nothing in terms of preparations for boxing on the domestic front.
The lack of action is greatly caused by the unresolved leadership wrangle in Uganda Amateur Boxing Federation (UABF) with two factions battling for administrative control.
The group of former professional boxer Godfrey Nyakana is pitted against that of Dr. Ntege Ssengendo.
The intervention of Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC), the body currently overseeing amateur boxing in the country, is yet to yield tangible results.
Boxers quit the Bombers
Disgusted by the trend of events, boxers are deserting the national team -the Bombers.
Lightweight Sebastian Mukasa and super heavyweight Charles Muwanga have moved to the professional ranks.
Flyweight Ronald Serugo and bantamweight Atanus Mugerwa may be the next to turn their backs on the Bombers. The pair departed for Finland a fortnight ago reportedly to tune up for the Africa Olympic Qualifier due in Morocco.
But the trip, organised by Sweden-based professional Samuel Rukundo, involved six other unknown people and sparked off a controversy.
But NCS secretary Jasper Aligawesa, who cleared the trip, vehemently denied facilitating non boxers to travel.
“We (NCS) do not run boxing. I do not know all the boxers. A club recommended the names to us. Only two people travelled, the others did not get the money,” he said.
The crisis in UABF attracted the attention of the Africa Boxing Confederation (ABC) whose president Abdellah Bessalem made a trip to Kampala.
Bessalem mandated UOC to work on a road map in a bid to end the crisis so that sanity returns to the sport.
The road map involves amending the UABF constitution in line with provisions of the world amateur boxing body AIBA.
AllAfrica – All the Time