Uganda is set to participate in the ISF Basketball World Cup in Macao, China, from June 23rd to July 3rd. The country will be represented by two teams: Elite High School for the boys’ category and the U-18 FIBA Africa Zone V Basketball qualifiers champions for the girls’ category.
A flag-off ceremony for the teams was held at Africa Bible University, with notable figures in attendance. Ambrose Tashobya, chairman of the National Council of Sports, served as the chief guest. Justus Mugisha, President of the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA), will lead the delegation to China.
During his address at the ceremony, Tashobya reminded the athletes of their dual roles as students and sportspeople. He emphasized the importance of ball possession in basketball, highlighting it as a key to creating more scoring opportunities and increasing their chances of winning.
“As you play, keep it in mind that you are student athletes. As you compete, remember that in basketball, ball possession is the most important thing. Once you have possession, you will have many opportunities to shoot,” Tashobya advised.
Rev. Can. Duncans Mugumya, Commissioner of Physical Education and Sports, encouraged the athletes to represent Uganda with discipline and pride, both on and off the court. He acknowledged USSSA’s efforts to eliminate age cheating in sports and urged the players to seize this significant opportunity to showcase their talents.
“I urge you to be disciplined. Representing Uganda is a big opportunity which you must use well to expose yourself. I want to thank USSSA for the measures put in place to remove age cheating in sports. Go and do your best; the results will come,” Mugumya stated.
Gratitude and Encouragement
Justus Mugisha expressed his gratitude to the government for its financial support and motivated the athletes to deliver their best performances. He highlighted Uganda’s active participation and success in recent international championships.
“We are currently performing well in international championships and are one of the most active members of ISF. We were represented by three teams at the Volleyball Championship in Serbia, four teams at the Football Championship in China, and a team for athletics in Kenya. We have been performing well,” Mugisha noted.
Team Uganda will be captained by Christine Namyalo, with Mugisha heading the delegation.
