BOU dominate indoor games as Bankers Sports Gala kicks off

Bankers, financial institutions, and their sports fans turned up in numbers at Lugogo Indoor Arena to compete in the annual sports gala on Sunday.

The Bank of Uganda (BOU) and Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) made strong starts to the 2026 Gala, winning in three and two disciplines, respectively, as they seek to position themselves for the overall accolade when the competition concludes later this month.

BOU dominated the indoor games, defending its titles in chess, badminton, and darts.

National chess players David Muwanguzi and Neogy Sepuya led BOU to retain the chess title, while international player Sarah Makanga was instrumental in the bank's successful defense of the darts crown.

BOU also defeated ABSA in last year's chess final.

In pool, DTB had to fight hard to overcome BOU, coached by national pool star Gumikiriza, 2–1 in the semifinal before successfully defending the title with another 2–1 victory over KCB in a tense final.

"We trained for six months, and I thank my teammates for the spirited fight that enabled us to eliminate our biggest rivals, BOU, in the semifinal," said DTB captain Michael Rutabisa.

Centenary Bank dominated Equity in the netball final, winning 14–5 to claim the accolade after finishing third last year.

Former national pool champion Alfred Gumikiriza has hailed the annual Bankers and Financial Institutions Sports Gala for providing national players and coaches with an opportunity to train the bankers in various sporting disciplines.

Gumikiriza, as pool coach for the Bank of Uganda team, said this at the 2026 edition of the indoor games held at Lugogo Indoor Arena on Sunday, where teams from 28 banking and financial institutions converged to compete in chess, pool, netball, volleyball, darts, table tennis, and badminton.

"I urge sports federations and associations to embrace these games and associate with banks, which are among the potential sponsors of the sports industry. Retired and active players, coaches, umpires, and referees have got an opportunity to train and administer these games," said Gumikiriza.

The Gala began with a road run, followed by a one-month daily monitored physical fitness challenge and a virtual quiz competition.

The competitors will now turn their attention to swimming this Sunday at Hotel Africana before the outdoor games at Kyambogo University on September 20, which will mark the climax of the 2026 Gala.

The CEOs of the various institutions will also compete in golf.

DTB emerged as the overall winner last year, while the Bank of Uganda finished second.

The Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services (UIBFS), together with the Uganda Bankers Association (UBA), are the organizers of the games.

Bankers Gala Indoor Winners

Chess: BOU 2 ABSA 1

Netball: Centenary 14 Equity 5

Volleyball: DTB 2 Equity 2

Darts: BOU 3 Equity 0

Table Tennis: Finance Trust 2 DFCU 1

Badminton: BOU 2 Centenary 1

Pool: DTB 3 ABSA 1