Buddo SS coach Asiimwe eyes back-to-back national netball titles as Gulu Games progress

Buddo Secondary School netball coach Jessy Assimwe has set his sights on defending the 2026 edition of the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) national ball games and athletics championships, currently underway in Gulu city.

Asiimwe, who guided Buddo SS to their first-ever national netball title in 2025 with a thrilling 29-27 victory over St Mary's Kitende in Tororo, has expressed confidence in his team's ability to repeat that success.

The ongoing games are co-hosted at Sacred Heart Girls SS and Gulu High School.

"So far, the players have done wonders by beating Iganga SS 44-5, Busia SS 23-13, and Trinity Catholic 29-11, to lead Group A," said Asiimwe.

In related developments, 17-time national netball record holders St Mary's Kitende maintained their dominance with a 36-5 win over Benedict and a 25-16 victory over Greenlight in Saturday's matches. St. Noa Girls Secondary School, Kawanda Secondary School, Baptist High School, and Kaddugala Secondary School also recorded victories in their respective clusters.

The games were officially opened on Friday afternoon by Hajjat Zulaika Nabukeera, President of the Association of Secondary School Headteachers of Uganda (ASSHU), who served as chief guest in the presence of the USSSA executive led by president Justus Mugisha.

In her address, Hajjat challenged secondary schools to fully fund sports programs at their institutions. "We must invest in sport as a tool for education, health, and national pride. You learners should take sports as a money-making venture and a memorable occupation," she said. She also reaffirmed ASSHU's role in ensuring headteachers continue supporting sports from the school level.

Justus Mugisha, President of USSSA, delivered a keynote address welcoming thousands of student-athletes, officials, and dignitaries with a message centered on excellence, integrity, and vision.

"It is with great pleasure that I extend a warm welcome to the 2026 National Ball Games II, Mind Games, and Athletics Championships," Mugisha said. "We are honored to have ASSHU president Hajjat Zulaika Nabukeera as our chief guest."

He noted that the championship, co-hosted by Sacred Heart Girls SS and Gulu High School, features 25 sports disciplines, including demonstration events, and brings together 10,180 athletes who qualified through intense regional and zonal competitions.

Mugisha highlighted the growth and diversity of the games, noting that the first-term games featured mainly U-20 boys' football, netball, volleyball, basketball, and handball.

Hellen Lamunu, head teacher of Sacred Heart Girls SS, applauded the government of Uganda and the Ministry of Education and Sports for entrusting St. Peters Tororo and Tororo Girls' School with hosting such a large crowd of over 10,180 athletes.