Heartbreak as Uganda's badminton stars fail qualification hurdle

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Uganda’s elite badminton players faced a tough challenge in their bid to qualify for the main draw of the Uganda International Badminton Challenge Series, which began on Wednesday at Lugogo Indoor Arena.

The 11th edition of the annual tournament has attracted 250 male and female players and is set to conclude on Sunday.

By press time, most of Uganda’s male players had fallen short of securing a place in the main singles event, which kicks off today (Thursday).

Only Augustus Owinyi and Kenneth Mwambu managed to progress past the first round as they battled for a spot in the main draw of 128 players.

“I am still pushing and want a slot into the main draw,” said Owinyi of Victoria University after defeating Rwanda’s Ifabrice Iratukunda 2-0.

Badminton player Augustus Owinyi (right) wins Rwandan player Ifabrice Iratukunda 2-0 at the 2025 Uganda Internatonal challenger Series Feb 19 at Lugogo Indoor Arena. (Photo: Silvano Kibuuka)

Both Owinyi and Mwambu are part of the national men’s team that recently competed in the All Africa Senior Mixed and Individual Championship in Cameroon.

However, their teammates, Muzafar Lubega and national team captain Amos Muyanja, were eliminated in the first round, each losing in straight sets to Indian opponents.

“I lost but I’m happy that my game is improving. I lost 3-1, and winning a set against an international player and losing 21-17 in the decider is no small feat. We only need to polish a few things, and playing against these international players is a good learning experience,” said Lubega.

Lubega now looks forward to competing in the doubles event, where he will pair with Owinyi in the men’s doubles and team up with Husina Kobugabe in the mixed doubles.

Both pairs were eliminated in the round of 16 at last year’s Uganda International Challenge Series at Lugogo and also fell in the quarterfinals of the All Africa Individual Championship in Cameroon last week.

Meanwhile, all of Uganda’s elite women players have secured spots in the main draw, which begins today (Thursday).

The women’s contingent includes Husina Kobugabe, Fadilah Shamika, and Tracy Naluwooza.

Uganda Badminton Association (UBA) CEO, Simon Mugabi, noted that the high calibre of the tournament forced many Ugandan players to go through the qualification rounds.

Uganda entered 30 players in the competition, many of whom had to first navigate the qualifiers.

The tournament has drawn competitors from a diverse range of countries, including Canada, India, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates, Poland, Turkey, Mauritius, Bulgaria, England, the USA, Malaysia, and Iran.

Selected results

1. Borst (GER) 2-0 Ryan Mutesasira (UG)
2. Vishnu (IND) 2-0 Ibra Mungufeni (UG)

Augustus Owinyi (UG) 2-0 Ifabrice Iratukunda (RW)

Ong ZL (SWI) 2-0 Denis Onyango (UG)

Gopinath (IND) 2-0 Amos Muyanja (UG)

Denis Mukasa (UG) 0-2 Nibal (MLD)

Eric Ofuyuru (UG) 0-2 Tajibullah Yev (KAZ)