Beach volleyball makes comeback with Entebbe circuit

Head of Beach Volleyball in Uganda, Eddie Bwengye, has announced that the Uganda Volleyball Federation (UVF) took a significant step towards revitalising beach volleyball by successfully organising the National Beach Volleyball Circuit at Aero Beach in Entebbe on Sunday, March 8.

Bwengye explained that the circuit was designed to bring players back to the sand and restore interest in the sport.

"Having the athletes compete again after a while on the sand amidst a tight regular volleyball season brings back beach volleyball visibility and engagement of players in sand," Bwengye told Vision Sports.

The tournament attracted 19 teams, comprising 10 women's and nine men's pairs.

In the women's final, the duo of Margrete Namyalo and Eunice Amuron defeated Oliver Acan and Clare Najjuuko 2-0 (21-19, 21-8) to claim the title.

Earlier in the semifinals, Namyalo and Amuron secured their place in the final with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-10) victory over Eunice Nuwabigaba and Gloria Nantege. Nuwabigaba and Nantege later received bronze medals after the third-place match was cancelled due to an injury to Kagoya Kuathar. The teams agreed to share the bronze in the spirit of sportsmanship.

Bwengye noted that the women's competition demonstrated strong determination across multiple teams.

"Seeing different winners in the women's category is a reflection that every pair that comes to play is determined to give it all until the end of the circuit. There is no dominance," he said.

In the men's category, the experienced pair of Daudi Okello and Emma Elanyu emerged victorious, defeating Parfait Ugabe and John Opolot 2-0 (21-14, 21-10) in the final.

Okello and Elanyu advanced to the final after beating Emmanuel Okia and Zulkifu Ndizihiwe 2-0 (21-9, 21-10) in the semifinals. Ugabe and Opolot secured their final spot by overcoming Emmanuel Ochom and Emmanuel Atubaite 2-1 (21-19, 16-21, 15-5). Okia and Ndizihiwe later claimed bronze with a 2-0 (21-12, 21-19) victory over Ochom and Atubaite.

Bwengye highlighted the influence of experienced players in raising the competition's level.

"We had new teams and pairs of young players that brought energy and fun, but the combination of Okello and Elanyu with their experience and many times they have played beach gave them an edge over the rest," he observed.

The federation now plans to organise more beach volleyball circuits to sustain momentum in the sport.

"Our plan is to have one or two circuits in a month during the off-season period and also make it consistent and scheduled within the regular volleyball season calendar of 2026–2027," Bwengye added.

However, he acknowledged that limited funding remains a persistent challenge.

"The federation challenge in supporting beach volleyball has been not having enough funds to support both regular volleyball and beach volleyball at the same time," he explained.

Despite financial constraints, the federation hopes that increased competitions will aid player development and prepare teams for regional tournaments.

Uganda enjoyed success at last year's CAVB Zone V Beach Volleyball Championship in Bujumbura, Burundi, where the women's pair of Nancy Chebet and Peace Busingye secured bronze.

The Ugandan pair started strongly, defeating Kenya 2-0 (21-13, 22-20) in their opening match. However, they narrowly lost to Burundi's Emelyne Igiraneza and Nadia Buntubwimana 1-2 (16-21, 21-19, 12-15) in a tense semifinal. In the bronze medal match, Chebet and Busingye came from behind to beat Tanzania's Evalyne Albert and Mariam Omary 2-1 (16-21, 21-15, 21-1).

In the men's category, Uganda's pair of Innocent Ayo and Isaac Ogusul lost their opening match to Burundi 0-2 (17-21, 15-21) but recovered to defeat Tanzania 2-1 (14-21, 21-17, 15-9) and Kenya 2-0 (21-8, 21-14). Their journey ended in the quarterfinals, where they again lost to Burundi 0-2 (17-21, 15-21).

The championship attracted teams from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, and Burundi, marking Uganda's third appearance at the Zone V Beach Volleyball Championship.