Kampala– President Museveni has urged athletes to avoid prostitution and the consumption of alcohol in order to keep their bodies fit for competitions.
The president made the remarks while flagging off teams that will take part in the World Championships in Eugene-Oregon, USA, and the commonwealth games in Birmingham, England.
The competitions which are starting late this month will have Uganda represented by 13 sporting disciplines including athletics, netball, badminton, weightlifting, rugby, table tennis, and swimming, among others.
The President observed that apart from being good for fitness, sports build character, promote entertainment, build teamwork and give the country publicity among others. He added that on the contrary, alcohol is destructive because it can damage one’s organs and as a result affects their ability to perform.
“Sports needs all your organs to be working well. i.e. the heart, lungs, liver, intestines, etc. All of these are at risk with alcohol. Having known the value of sports for you and the country, you now need the discipline to guard that talent,” he stated.
Museveni added that when athletes succeed in their careers, they become over-appreciated by society and end up failing to control their fame. But he says athletes should nevertheless have the discipline to avoid all hazards that can ruin their talents.
“The point I want to make is that once you have the talent, don’t fear! There is nothing you can’t achieve if you have good training and discipline. Once you have the talent you can achieve a lot with good training and discipline,” he added and asked Ugandan athletes to work as a team as they head out for the competitions.
In the same development, the President also urged the local organizing committee to take good care of the athletes, in terms of feeding and welfare if they are to have a good performance in the games.
Education and Sports minister Janet Museveni said that the successes registered by the Sports sub-sector of Uganda in the recent past are not only attributed to the God-given talented population we have as a country but the stability in the nation generally.
She said that as such, public financing for Physical Education and Sports Sub-Sector increased by 304 percent, that is 20.77 billion Shillings, from 6.83 billion Shillings in the Financial Year 2015/2016 to 27.6 billion Shillings in the Financial Year 2020/2021.
This investment over that period, she said has brought Uganda more than 180 various medals of which at least 75 were Gold medals in various teams and individual Sports.
Janet Museveni informed Team Uganda to always remember that while they are abroad, they are holding the Uganda flag wherever they go and urged them to ensure that they do nothing that brings shame to the flag.
In the same development, Janet Museveni also urged the athletes to exhibit patriotism while taking part in the games and avoid disappearing while representing the country.
“Therefore, please remember to keep our flag flying high. Show pride in being Ugandan. Remember everybody is watching you, praying, and wishing you the very best. There can never be any better country for you other than your God-given homeland,” she said.
The national team for the world athletics championships is expected to depart on Tuesday with 17 athletes lineup to take part in the games. The team will be led by Olympic gold medalist Joshua Cheptegei who will be participating in the 10,000m race.
Other athletes include Olympic bronze medalist Jacob Kiplimo, 2018 commonwealth bronze medalist, Winnie Nanyondo, world champion Halima Nakaayi, and Olympic gold medalist Peruth Chemutai among others.
Uganda will go to Oregon with a pedigree after producing two world champions in the 2019 World athletics championships in Doha, Joshua Cheptegei won the 10,000m while Halima Nakaayi won the 800m in the women’s category.
In the commonwealth games, Uganda will be represented by both team and individual sports disciplines including rugby, table tennis, netball, athletics, and boxing among others.
Source: URN
