Last Updated on: 28th March 2023, 01:45 pm
The National Council of Sports [NCS] has commenced its regional tours. They started with Acholi sub-region as they look forward to addressing challenges and promoting the development of talents.
NCS has also observed that there is a lack of knowledge by the district sports officers (DSOs) to develop different sports in their districts.
Over 450 balls for foot and netballs were handed to ten (10) district sports officers in Acholi sub-region on Monday. Gulu city was also catered for.
TND News Gulu city-based reporter, Lil Romeo Okot had a chat with the district sports officer of Gulu district, Sunday Braxton Ojara. He said for so many years, people in this sub-region lost hope in sports.
“They always participate in the sports but when reaching the national level they get lost because the office of the national council of sport does not show the leeway to them,” Braxton added.
Ojara urged that the national council of sports open up and construct a training wing for northern Uganda to bridge the gaps that have the region behind. He advised the technical teams per district to organize playgrounds for people to manage their fitness.
In his speech, Ojara appealed to the national council of sports to try and educate the participants on mindset change and how to promote the young generation into sports, adding that financial inclusion is becoming a serious problem in the region.
Richard Irwenyo is the principal education officer of Gulu city. He said to make the development of sports in the region; there is a need for the allocation of land for the construction of playgrounds per district. Gulu city would plan and acquire Kaunda Ground and Boma Ground to be playgrounds for the city.”
He disclosed that Gulu city has over four qualified sports officers who are ready to participate in the development of sports. “This is because the city has two divisions which are autonomous.”
Irwenyo questioned the national council of sports to differentiate whether Music, Dance, and Drama (MDD) is also under the docket of sports, saying for many years the ministry of sports claimed that MDD belongs to a culture that is under the ministry of Gender.
George Buetel Ayiba, the district education officer of Nowya affirmed the national council of sports is holding tours per region to make sure sports development succeeds, telling the NCS to check an alternative way of lobbying funds because the budget the government would not support the development in time due to delays in releasing funds.
“This tour is the first of its kind,” he said while calling for capacity building of sports officers to know more about sports disciplines and other e-sports technology to be understood more.
According to Buetel, there is poor coordination which is making people fail to manage sports disciplines in the region, adding that some officers are misplaced which is contributing to indiscipline in the industry.
Dr. Ogwel Benard Patrick, the general secretary of the national council of sports said shs284m has been allocated for technical planning, including sports officers, and district education officers for all the regions in Uganda to promote the sport in Uganda.
Dr. Ogwel advised all the district education officers (DEOs) and (DSOs) to verify schools that have no playgrounds and those with good playgrounds for planning.
Meanwhile, Tashobya Ambrose, the chairperson of the national council of sports acknowledged the challenges by the technical teams, saying the council would lobby for funds to support the development.
“For many years as the council, we have been complaining to the office of the ministry of education and sport to handle and put in a supplementary budget for sports,” he told the meeting.
He further highlighted the levels of infrastructure development in the coming financial years, revealing that funds will be allocated to sports development. He appealed to the local community to be involved in the maintenance of the community playgrounds and not to wait for the money from the government which, he said, sometimes delay.