Volleyball Cranes (Uganda men’s national volleyball team) provisional team for the upcoming 2022 World Championship Zonal Qualifiers were meant to enter a residential training camp (bubble) earlier this week but the schedule has been put on hold.
According to Uganda Volleyball Federation (UVF), this comes after National Council of Sports (NCS) advised them to wait for President Yoweri Museveni’s address on Covid-19 situation slated for Friday, 30th July. The President will advise on way forward for the current 42-day nationwide lockdown (including sports) that ends on Thursday, 29th July.
“UVF engaged NCS for clearance to commence the training camp and were advised to kindly wait for H.E the President of Uganda’s address this Friday before they can give us their concrete position,” part of the statement signed by Team Manager Ahmed Kigundu read.
At the moment, all local sports activities and other crowd pulling events and many sectors of the economy are currently suspended as a Covid-19 preventive measure.
However, national teams have in the lockdown period held bubbles ahead of international engagements with the rugby fraternity recently holding two camps ahead of the men’s and women’s Rugby Africa Cup Group C matches held at Kyadondo Rugby Club in Kampala.
Should a noose on sports and the like be loosened, the team might be allowed to hold a non residential camp but if the Covid-19 lockdown situation remains the same, the team will still have to enter a bubble.
The training camp was meant to last for about a week at Nkumba University in Entebbe.
The players are however advised to conduct individual training drills at home to keep in shape.
Newly appointed Volleyball Cranes Head Coach Shilla Omuriwe Buyongo recently summoned a provisional squad of 18 players for the event slated for next month either in Tunisia or Rwanda. The final squad will have 14 players.
Volleyball Cranes Provisional Squad.
Allan Ejiet – KAVC
Bernard Malinga – Nemostars
Brian Atuhaire – Sport-S
Daudi Okello – KAVC
Dickens Otim – Sport -S
Emma Elanyu – Nemostars
Emmanuel Okia -Ndejje
George Aporu – Nemostars
Gideon Angiro – KCCA
Ivan Ongom – OBB
Johnson Rukundo – Sport -S
Jonathan Tumukunde – Nemostars
Marino Oboke – Sport-S
Moses Odeke – UCU
Nathan Okare -OBB
Sam Engwau – VVC
Sharif Nabanji – OBB
Smith Okumu – Nemostars
