Swimming parent Hadijah Namanda cannot wait to cheer on her daughter Kirabo Namutebi as she makes her Olympic debut on Friday when she competes in the 50m freestyle heats at the Tokyo Aquatic Center.

Namanda says she is excited and humbled to see her daughter make it to the Olympics at such a tender age and adds that she is happy to see their hard work, sleepless nights and all that to do with the training and commitment as a parent pay off.

“It has been a journey that has not been so smooth but it is one worth celebrating. It is a worthwhile achievement and I believe it is the beginning of so much more appearances at major tournaments like the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships,” Namanda said.

“My heart was elated when I saw her as the flag bearer at the opening ceremony and from a parental perspective, I was so happy because the last woman to hold the flag was Mary Musoke with whom I played Table Tennis, so I even playback the video and watch it again because I missed the live feed. It is a historic and a memorable moment for her and she will live to remember the experience.”

This being the first time that she has not been near either Namutebi or his brother Tendo Mukalazi at a major swimming event, Namanda says she has missed offering that parental guidance and her heart is not at peace but says Kirabo is mentally strong, although she would have loved to watch her live at her first Olympics.

“I’m on tension, because literally, everyone has eyes on her, but she is a fighter and I hope that won’t affect her performance, but I know she is going to shut the world out and then fly in the water. I believe she will make me and the nation proud like she has always assured me to,” Namanda stated.

“I want her to go out there and enjoy herself, not to panic, because she also has her own targets which she has also set high and I only wish her the best. We are all in anxious mode and we want to cheer her on and I think she is not going to disappoint.”

After the Olympics, Namutebi will return to Russia where she will continue with her one-year training until April next year, a development Namanda believes will set them on course for the bigger stage. She says the next target for Kirabo and Mukalazi are to qualify for all the international meets on merit not through the universality card like it is now.

Namanda advises fellow parents to support their children with their God-given talents so that they can excel because sport gives life attributes that they will need to use for the rest of their lives like goal setting, networking, a clean bill of health, target-setting, focus, and time management among others.

Having benefitted from sport-loving parents, Namanda has also transferred her love to sport and invested in her children and looks forward to continuous investment into their passion among other educational needs.

“As parents we sacrifice for the children because we know what we want for them but the system has also to appreciate the effort that we put in monetary terms. It is high time they start investing in these youngsters instead of waiting to celebrate someone that they have not been part of; government should wake up and look at the plight of our athletes,” Namanda noted.