Irish-Ugandan woman selected to co-captain Team Uganda in Olympic Games

An Irish-Ugandan woman who is the first sportsperson to row for Uganda in the Olympics has been given the honour of being named joint captain for Team Uganda in the iconic games which open this Friday in Paris.

Kathleen Noble said she is “overwhelmed” at being asked to co-lead Team Uganda, and is looking forward to carrying the Ugandan Flag in the closing ceremony in the Olympic stadium in Paris with co-captain, runner Joshua Cheptegei. 

“This is something I will never forget and a massive honour for me and my family.” she said. “This will be so special.”  

Kathleen – whose parents moved to Uganda from Ireland 30 years ago - is the only Ugandan rower taking part in this year’s games. She also participated in rowing for Uganda in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

Noble arriving in the French capital ahead of the start of the sporting extravaganza this Friday

Her parents, Gerry, a doctor and development consultant  and Moira, a teacher from Monaghan, first moved to Uganda in July 1994. They arrived a week before the official opening of the Irish Embassy in Kampala, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary. 

Moira was pregnant with Kathleen when they arrived in the country and the sportswoman is, like the Irish Embassy, marking her 30th birthday this year. 

Kathleen Noble pictured with her parents Gerry and Moira and siblings Daniel and Lizzie

Moira and Gerry, who are travelling to Paris to see Kathleen in action, said today: “We are overjoyed at this news and so proud. While our family’s roots are in Ireland we have lived in Uganda for three decades and have reared our family there. It is a great honour for Kathleen to have the opportunity to co-lead Team Uganda. Watching our daughter compete on the world stage, cheered on by so many in Uganda, Ireland and USA is a testament to the power of sports in building connections across borders and cultures." 

Speaking from Paris Kathleen said she is extremely proud to be representing Uganda on the water at Vaires-sur-Marne, 30km to the east of the city, this Saturday. She has been rigorously preparing in the USA in recent months, coached by James Martinez, a former USA champion sculler.  

Kathleen Noble pictured as a young girl at a market in Kampala. Courtesy photo

While Kathleen says there is no expectation of winning a medal, she wants to use the opportunity to advocate for rowing in Uganda, and to promote the sport. She said she has a vision of creating a high-performance centre in Uganda. 

Kathleen has dual citizenship and she and her siblings brother Daniel and sister Lizzie spent weeks every year as kids in Ireland. Her brother is married to a Ugandan and lives in Dublin now. 

Growing up Kathleen said Ireland was the place that she considered herself to be from. “When I was in Uganda and when people asked where I was from, I was always from Ireland. But then when I was in Ireland and people asked where I was from, I was from Uganda.” she said. 

Kathleen Noble pictured with her parents Gerry and Moira

When she was younger Kathleen was a keen swimmer and represented Uganda at the World Championships in Turkey when she was 17. She went to Princeton on an international student scholarship and took up rowing. By 2016, she was rowing for Uganda in the World Under-23 Championships. 

Kathleen said when she steps out into the stadium for the opening ceremony this Friday it will be a great moment. She competes in rowing this Saturday. 

Uganda has a total of 25 athletes who will compete in front of a global audience estimated to be billions. Joshua Cheptegei is the most notable of the Ugandan athletes and is a 5,000m and 10,000m world record holder. He won two medals at the Tokyo games.