The Team Uganda Secretariat at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, National Council of Sports (NCS) and the Uganda Weightlifting Federation (UWF) have issued a joint statement explaining the circumstances under which weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko travelled for the Olympic Games but did not compete.

The statement signed by the Chef-de-Mission Beatrice Ayikoru, General Team Manager Patrick Ogwel and UWF president Salim Musoke explains that Ssekitoleko travelled to Japan because he was one of Uganda’s athletes with a bright qualification pathway future for the Olympics.

They noted that because of his high ranking among weightlifters in Uganda, Ssekitoleko’s name was submitted to the Olympic Games Secretariat (OGs) earlier in the preliminary long-list of both qualified athletes and athletes with high potential to qualify.

“His qualification was pending announcement by the International Weight-lifting Federation (IWF) of its final qualified weightlifters to participate at the Tokyo Olympic Games. He had been duly informed and was aware of this position from the time he was set to leave Uganda for Izumisano, Japan,” the statement reads in part.

“While in Izumisano; the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) through their letter from the IWF Interim President Dr Michael Irani, to IOC and all countries’ NOCs (UOC in the case of Uganda), dated July 4, 2021, announced the final quota of OGs qualified weight-lifting athletes.

“Julius Ssekitoleko was not among the qualified weightlifters on this IWF final list. He had missed out on falling within the qualifications absolute rankings. He was immediately notified and plans for his return home to Uganda on July 20 with his coach and NCS’s David Katende were made.”

The statement explains that for all the time Ssekitoleko was in Izumisano, he lived and trained together with all the other team athletes and officials at the same training camp hotel and premises.

And that it was only on July 16 that it was discovered that Ssekitoleko had not taken the mandatory daily COVID-19 PCR test and it was established he had absconded from the camp hotel, and could not be located within the precincts of the training camp.

“He, regrettably, had breached the COVID counter-measures regulations of the Japanese Government requiring that foreign athletes and sports officials in Japan should not move away from their authorized places of abode and training.

“The matter was immediately reported to the Japanese authorities in Izumisano City, to the Uganda Embassy in Tokyo, and to the Police in Osaka which recorded statements from members of the team,”

Ssekitoleko was later found by Police in Mie, 105 miles away from Izumisano in Nagoya, Central Japan, and sent back (Escorted) to Uganda, where he arrived on July 23.

“Ssekitoleko was, because of his proven international ranking, officially (not irregularly), selected to train in Japan pending final pronouncement of the IWF on their final OGs qualified athletes. It should be noted that Sekitoleko has previously qualified and represented Uganda at other international competitions including the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia,” the statement adds. “There was no irregular collision of the Games officials in Ssekitoleko’s travel to, and disappearance in Japan. Ssekitoleko, like all his other colleague athletes, was paid his due allowances by Government through NCS. The Uganda Weightlifting Federation was, in addition, supported to facilitate Ssekitoleko and other weightlifters’ non-residential training.

Uganda’s early appearance in Japan followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with the Japanese city of Izumisano and the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Education and Sports  for Ugandan athletes to train in the City’s facilities to qualify, improve performance, and acclimatize to Japan conditions prior to the 2020 Olympic Games.

A team of nine athletes, including Ssekitoleko and his coach Hakim Ssempereza, under the leadership of NCS official David Katende, travelled from Uganda to Izumisano City, Japan where the team arrived on June 19 for a Pre-Olympic Games Training Camp.

“The NCS, UOC and the Uganda Weightlifting Federation (UWF) condemn all manner of indiscipline and unsportsmanlike conduct, as exhibited by Ssekitoleko, which also tarnishes the image of Uganda.

“The NCS and UOC have institutionalized a Code of Conduct to be abided by all athletes, which when breached attracts appropriate sanctions.

“In this regard, Ssekitoleko being one of the athletes, breached this code, and his case will be duly handled in line with the due process, by the appropriate relevant organs within the rules and regulations of sport”.