Police now to help in the fight against impersonators, none bona-fide, and over aged players in school sport.
In 2022, when the present USSSA executive committee was elected, it set its number one objective, riding school sport of impersonators, none bona-fide, and over-age players in school sports. Luckily, this resonated well with ASSHU, PES, and the Ministry of Education and Sports. The Parliament of Uganda has also joined the fight by enacting a law that criminalizes the above and sets very serious sanctions to the offenders.
Since 2022, USSSA has strengthened rules and regulations to ensure that real students of actual age participate in school games.
In 2023, a student registration system was introduced to help in the fight and overtime, new guidelines for registration, screening of players, and sanctioning of offending schools, administrators, and players.
Unfortunately, organizers at some districts and zones decided to disregard the set regulations and guidelines. In the end, many teams have been declared to represent zones in the national games by fielding those who do not qualify to play in students’ games.
In the pre tournament screening exercise at the USSSA head office, a number of teams failed to raise the necessary 20 students to participate in the national games.
Any team that presents 5 or more students that do not qualify may be disqualified from participating in the national games . Additionally, as sanction to the zone that presents such a team, A slot is lost to other zones with clean teams. It’s hoped that these measures will force those zones to be more serious in implementing USSSA rules, regulations and guidelines in future.
Pre tournament screening involves scrutinizing the original documents of players and subjecting them to EMIS, UNEB, national federations and where possible, NIRA registration systems. Any discrepancy in these may lead to disqualification of a player and / or a school team in line with tournament rules and regulations.
Pre tournament screening will be followed by physical screening at the tournament venue.
We have strict instructions from the minister of state for education and sports Hon Peter Ogwang to refer cases of impersonation to police. We made arrangements to have police at the screening venues at Masaka SSS and Ndejje SS, who will handle such cases. Head Teachers, Games teachers, and coaches are hereby requested to be more careful with the team they present.
Finally, students of actual age have a chance to participate in their games
Justus Mugisha.
President USSSA.
Nice
Sweet to read this. But I hear giant schools are more sofiscated in cheating. I will be happy if the move will level the ground for all schools across board.