Fadilah Shamika headlines February Fortebet Real Stars awards

Continental badminton gold medalist Fadilah Shamika was the standout winner at the February Fortebet Real Stars Sports Awards, held in Kampala on Tuesday.

Shamika, who secured gold at the All-Africa Senior Championships, was crowned alongside chess player Mark Nyola Wasswa of Kampala University and footballer Richard Basangwa of NEC FC. Nyola is the son of iconic former Express FC player Godfrey Nyola.

A jubilant Shamika, currently ranked as Africa’s top seed, expressed her delight after winning the accolade for the third time in her elite career. The award marks a strong comeback following an injury-plagued 2025 season. She previously won the monthly award twice in 2024.

“The award motivates me to work harder as I chase my dream of competing at the World Championships and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. I thank the organisers for promoting competition among athletes,” noted Shamika, a first-year Business Administration student at Victoria University.

Winners of the February 2026 Fortebet Real Stars Awards pose with their accolades at Mosquito Restaurant in Kololo on March 3, 2026. From left (sitting) are winners Mark Wasswa Nyola, Fadilah Shamika, and Isaac Mukasa, who represented footballer Richard Basangwa

Fadilah also proved to be the best-placed Ugandan at the Uganda International Challenge, which featured players from 39 countries at Lugogo, where she advanced to the round of 16. She beat out Tracy Naluwooza and Arafat Tendo Kibirige for the February award.

Nyola was recognised for winning the 2026 Super 12 Championship, a Chess Olympiad qualifier. Despite starting as the fourth seed and being unrated, he won all 12 rounds during the month-long weekend competition, defeating internationally rated opponents to clinch the title. The victory earned him a spot on Uganda’s 10-member national team (five men and five women) for the 2026 Chess Olympiad, scheduled to take place in Uzbekistan this September.

“The competition was tough and this was my second time participating. I was not rated and started fourth but managed to win all 12 rounds to secure a return to the Olympiad team. I thank the sponsors and Kampala University for the scholarship support,” Nyola said. Nyola was nominated alongside Olivia Asiimwe and Sana Omprakash.

Basangwa was crowned in absentia. In February, he made a dream debut for NEC FC, scoring a brace as they defeated KCCA FC 3-1 at the Philip Omondi Stadium in Lugogo. He also netted in a 1-1 draw against his former club, Vipers SC, again away from home. Basangwa was nominated alongside Milton Kalisa of Vipers SC and Rogers Omedwa, goalkeeper for Entebbe UPPC FC.

Real Stars director Isaac Mukasa applauded the winners and urged them to remain focused.

“We started recognising outstanding athletes monthly in November 2018. These awards are meant to motivate them to work harder and achieve greater success at national, continental, and global levels,” Mukasa said.

He also thanked sponsors Fortebet, Jude Colour Solutions, and Mosquito Restaurant for their continued support in promoting sports.

The monthly awards will return in April to honor the best performers for March.