In the presidential address on Covid-19 on the 20th,September, 2020, he gave Greenlight to the resumption of sports activities within the country.
This sent sports lovers (fans, administrators and players combined) all over the country into jubilant moods.
Following the directive, the National Council Of Sports which is the government body that is mandated to oversee sports activities in the country called for a resumption meeting.
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In the meeting, National Federations were given a list of Pre-resumption activities to be done (Checklist).
Given the financial crippacy of most of our Federations, it is difficult to tell whether we are really ready to resume sporting activities in the country.
Each national Federation will be required to carryout Covid-19 tests on players every after 14 days. With the testing fee amounting to 65 dollars how many Federations are able and willing to finance the exercise?
Take football for example, how many games can be played within 2 weeks per team?
How much money does every individual team need to have all their players in camp for the whole season on top of the regular testing?
We have time and again had scenarios where players complain of little or no pay at all. How sure are we that a team which has failed to fulfill their obligations in payment of salaries will be in position to handle the “new extra charges”?
It is little wonder that the Uganda Premier League new season (2020/2021) that had been earlier planned to kick-start on 17th, October, 2020 was postponed for another 30 days pending confirmation.
“I can assertively testify that no body is ready, but we must begin”, said FUFA president Eng Moses Hashim Magogo while speaking about FUFA’s readiness to resume football on Super FM last Sunday.
Hajji Salim Musoke, the President of the Uganda Weight Lifting Association decried the regular testing expenses and called upon the National Council of sports (NCS) to take on that responsibility.
“The implication is that we are not ready yet, testing for Covid-19 is an expensive exercise that we can not manage since we don’t have the money. Unless NCS takes on that responsibility”. He concluded.
Ugandan Athletes competing at international level.
Mr Robert Jjagwe the Uganda Table Tennis Association president echoed Hajji Salim’s voice.
“NCS should help us do the testing (of the players and officials) or leave the games under lockdown since we don’t have the money”, he said.
With those submissions, it is evident that despite the lift of the lockdown on sports, most of the Federations seem not to be ready to fulfill the requirements for approval to begin by the National Council of Sports.
