The 2022 Dr. Aporu Okol International Volleyball Tournament will be played between June 12th – June 13th, the Uganda Volleyball Federation (UVF) confirmed recently.
Marking its 28th staging, the 2-day event will be played at Kumi Boma Grounds in Kumi Town as it’s been the tradition.
The event was last held in 2019. It didn’t happen in 2020 & 2021 due to Covid-19 disruptions.
The tournament is held every year in memory of Dr. Aporu Okol who was an ardent supporter of Ugandan volleyball.
He was part of the national team that played a a Zone five qualification for a continental championship in 1975 where Uganda was third.
He is described as being an attacker, a great block, court cover, and a player with great service and reception.
He was a district veterinary officer in Kumi and Deputy Minister of Animal Industry and Fisheries in 1986. Later, he was elected to represent Kumi County in parliament in 1989. At the time of his passing in 1992, he was the patron of Uganda Volleyball Federation.
His legacy still lives on through the tournament that is held every year in his memory and his son George Herbert Aporu who is also involved in the sport with Nemo Stars.
Unlike the previous editions, this year’s tournament will exclude schools as a way of adhering to the Kumi District Covid Task force regulations. The task force did not clear schools in sports competitions.
Kumi based Nemo Stars are the defending champions after defeating Uganda Christian University in the finals of the 27th edition in 2019 while Ndejje University women volleyball team are the defending champions after defeating Vision Volleyball CluClub.
