Over 1,000 players set for East Africa Badminton Challenge at Lugogo

The top three players from this year’s City Tyres-Linglong East Africa Badminton Challenge will get special prizes from the sponsors as announced by Linglong chairman and CEO Wang Feng who is currently on a visit in the country.

Addressing the press during the launch at the Mandela Sports Complex in Industrial Area on Thursday, Wang said the offer is supposed to motivate and encourage the players to play to their best.

“We hope this challenge can help improve the quality of play and also to make the public aware of the sport and love it more. We also want badminton improve the health of the local people,” Wang said.

He said they have also sponsored a number of events like basketball, football and badminton. He also noted that besides working with the big auto manufacturers like Audi, BMW, and Benz they were also working hard to improve their brand image with the help of other partners.

“In the past few years, we have sponsored many sports entities like Real Madrid, Wolfsburg, Chelsea, Juventus and the NBA and SC Villa. But also, in the past twenty years we have worked with the Mandela Group and we have very profound relationship, friendship and our association has seen the Linglong brand become the most sought after and currently has the biggest market share.

Linglong Tyre president and CEO Feng Wang (3rd right) and Mandela Group Chairman Ahmed Omar Mandela (2nd right) and UBA CEO Simon Mugabi (right) launch the event alongside the other partners at the Mandela Sports Complex. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

“We have built a bond with the local Ugandan people and we love sports and we are happy to be associated with you. This time we are very happy to be associated with the East African badminton event and we wish the players a good event,” Wang stated.

Linglong is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and also offered three electrical vehicles to the Mandela Group which they give away to their customers through another promotion. Over 1000 players are expected to compete in the different categories in the event due at the Lugogo Indoor Stadium from October 16-19.

According to Uganda Badminton Association CEO Simon Mugabi under-10, under-13, and the under-19 in the primary and secondary school categories. There will also be a universities and professional categories as well as the one for corporates, foreigners and two inclusions of the coaches and media categories.

“This is going to be a big event with many entries but we can manage the big numbers with our expertise. With the announcement of a special prize, we expect the other prizes to even getter bigger,” Mugabi stated.

Apart from last year’s men’s singles winner Augustus Owiny who is out of the country, the other defending champions like Fadilah Shamika (women’s singles), Arafat Tendo Kibirige and Vivian Nalule in the U-19, Ahmed Malik and Trisha Kyuuka in the U-15, Sam Bisaso and Sayed Samara in the U-13 and Sofia Nsubuga and Umaima Nabasirye in the U-10 are all expected to defend their crowns.

Last year’s Augustus Owinyi was one of the biggest winners in the 7th edition of the event. The 24-year-old Victoria University student of Business Administration not only won the men’s singles final where he beat Micheal Reagan Nsubuga 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) but he also combined with Muzafar Lubega to win the men’s doubles 2-0 (21-17, 21-8) at the expense of Nsubuga and Shilton Tayebwa.

Owinyi and Lubega were also unstoppable in the nations challenge, winning both against India and Kenyan nationals in straight sets (21-2, 21-8) and (21-11, 21-8) enroute to defending and winning the overall crown.