By Aloysius Byamukama
The two years of Uganda secondary schools sports blackout are finally over and the light has been seen at the tunnel end.
With the ministry of education and sports, having given the resumption of sports competitions in schools and a circular having been sent out to all schools in regard to this, the Secondary Schools Sports fraternity has every reason now to smile.
The event organized by Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) and attracts only the top 8 teams in only football, netball, volleyball and basketball, was last played in 2020.
And now first on the 2022 schools, sports calendar is the elite schools’ sports championship that has been scheduled to take place between 25-27 this month at St Mary’s SS Kitende.
USSSA president Patrick Okanya says this event was thought about to give the school teams a feel of the new season and also encourage competition.
“We have been holding this event as a curtain-raiser to the major national championships and also arouse competition at the national level as school teams will always tussle it out for these top positions so as to make the elite mark,” Okanya said.
Okanya says that since its inception, the high competition has enabled Uganda to perform well at the regional games and it’s no wonder that Uganda is the reigning FEASSSA games champions after winning the accolade in the last event held in 2019 in Arusha, Tanzania.
The elite teams to take part include defending boys football champions St Mary’s Kitende, against Jinja SS, Buddo SS, Standard High Zzana, Bulo Parents, Royal Giants, St Henry’s College Kitovu and Jinja Progressive
Defending girls’ winners Kawempe Moslem battle St Noa Girls, Mukono High, Gadaffi Integrated, Uganda Martyrs Rubaga, Pride Mixed SS and Buhoobe SS
Basketball boys have winners Buddo SS against Kibuli SS, Seroma Christain High School, Ndejje SS, Light Academy, Namilyango College, Mbogo Mixed and Hope Nakirebe
St Mary’s Kitende the defending winners of the girls’ basketball, will battle St Noa Girls, Buddo SS, Nabisunsa Girls, Hope Biira, Exodus College, Crane High and Maryhill High School
In Volleyball boys, it’s Standard High Zzana, Mbogo Mixed, Dynamic SS, Kinaawa SS Kawempe, Buremba SS, Merryland HS, Iganga Parents and Ubuntu Hill SS while the girls are Trust High, Kinaawa SS, St Elizabeth Mbarara, St Bridget Girls, Lubaga Girls, Iganga SS, Maryhill HS and Iganga Parents.
Netball has St Mary’s Kitende, St Noa, Buddo SS, Ngando SS, Baptist High, Kawanda SS, Mukono SS and Masaka SS.