Technical officials to boost team Uganda at the Olympics Games

Apart from the 25 sportsmen who will represent Uganda at this year’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Uganda will have more representation at the games regarding technical officials.

Leading the list of the four officials at the games is football referee Shamirah Nabadda who will serve as a support referee among three other female officials from Africa.

She is among the 89 match officials selected by FIFA including 21 referees, 42 assistant referees, 20 video officials, and six support referees.

The other is Max Kanyerezi a member of one of the FINA Technical Committees (Events Sub Committee) from the Uganda Swimming Federation who is also set to officiate at the games.

FINA Technical Committees are responsible for analysing how continued improvements can be made to aquatic sports. FINA has seven Technical Committees, with six committees for the aquatic disciplines of Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Diving, High Diving, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming, and a committee for Masters. 

Kanyerezi a former national swimmer and Olympian who is currently USF General Secretary first came to the limelight when he alongside Peter Mugisha and Umar Mugalu was named FINA competition officials in 2017 for four years. Since then he has never looked back.

Long-serving Uganda Weightlifting Federation president Salim Musoke is among the officials for weightlifting while Collins Ssemanda travels as an official for the Modern Pentathlon.

The sport requires and challenges athletes to swim, run, fence, ride an unfamiliar horse, and shoot a laser pistol.

The Ugandan team is sponsored by the government of Uganda through the UOC with additional support from Sanlam Insurance, Plascon, and Nile Breweries.