Muhangi says that it is unfair to keep boxing out of schools where other sports talents are being nurtured. “It is illogical for a sport like boxing to be sidelined in a grass-root spotting development structure like schools and then later one says boxing no longer wins’ medals,” he said.
Moses Muhangi, the president of Uganda Boxing Federation- UBF President has
decried the continued exclusion of boxing from the school calendar.
It is almost 13 years
since the former Commissioner of Education and Sports, Dan Tamwesigire raised concern over the safety of amateur boxers in schools, saying they are young and cannot stand punches on their
heads.
Tamwesigire insisted that he needed approval from experts
that boxing is safe for the
minors. As a result, boxing lost momentum in schools such as Kololo high school among
others, where it was a popular
sport. Muhangi says that it is unfair
to keep boxing out of schools where other sports talents are
being nurtured.
“It is illogical for a
sport like boxing to be sidelined in a grass-root spotting development
structure like schools and then later one says boxing no longer wins’ medals,” he said. According to Muhangi, boxers
ought to be nurtured in
schools before they go on to get
the experience that helps them to win medals on the national, continental, and international
scenes.
“When boxing was winning medals, it was also practised in schools. People
like Godfrey Nyakana and Justin
Juuko among others came
from schools like Kololo high and Kako SS and went straight to win gold medals in
commonwealth games,”
Muhangi explained.
Adding that,” “Boxing’s
failure to win medals is Marjory a government initiative, we have written
documents, pleaded with administrators but up to now, no one is willing to have
boxing back in schools but they are ready to assert that boxing no longer wins’
medals in the Commonwealth and Olympic games”.
He says that is four years since they asked for the
return of boxing in schools in vain. Boxing is not provided for in the 2022 Education
institutions sports calendar. Several
other sports such as Secondary
school boys’ football championship, Primary school national kids’ athletics,
SNE games, and ISSF
World Schools cross country were given space.
Rev. Can. Duncan Mugumya, the Commissioner of Education and sports told URN that it is not the responsibility of
the ministry to predetermine sports activities. He explained that before drafting
the calendar, they engaged all stakeholders who guided them on what to include.
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Mugumya also explained to URN that although the
boxing Federation has been talking about the continued neglect of their sport by the ministry,
he is yet to find any official document that confirms the ban of boxing in
schools.
Fahad Muganga
Freelancer