Uganda secures hosting rights for FIBA U18 Zone V tournament

Uganda is ready to host the upcoming FIBA AfroBasket U18 Zone V Qualifiers, according to Albert Ahabwe, a member of the Local Organising Committee.

The tournament is scheduled for June 14 to 20 at the Hoima City Arena and will bring together 11 nations from across the Zone Five region. FUBA confirmed the hosting rights on Monday, March 23.

Ahabwe said preparations are on track and noted that Uganda has experience in hosting such events.

“We are prepared. We have set up a Local Organising Committee to handle the event, and we will be ready. We have done this before and hosted the last qualifiers at Lugogo without any problems,” he said.

Uganda won the rights to host the tournament after submitting a bid to FIBA.

“We submitted a bid to FIBA and left it to them to decide, and Uganda was chosen as the best host,” Ahabwe added.

He also highlighted the government’s role in supporting the successful bid.

“Government has done the most important job by constructing the facilities. The national teams are also funded by the government, so they have done their part, and ours is to execute,” he said.

The tournament will be staged at the modern Hoima City Arena, part of the newly built Hoima City Stadium complex, which provides improved facilities for players and fans.

Ahabwe believes hosting the event will boost Uganda’s chances of attracting more international competitions in the future.

“This event will open the eyes of the continent to our capacity to host such competitions. With plans to upgrade Lugogo, we can only be excited,” he affirmed.

Uganda’s junior teams are already preparing for the qualifiers through scouting and training.

“We have spent the last year putting together teams through trials and scouting. We are confident we will have strong teams ready to represent the country,” Ahabwe said.

The tournament features both boys’ and girls’ teams competing for qualification to the FIBA U18 AfroBasket Championship.

He concluded that the competition will also help develop young talent across the region.

“Competition sharpens talent, and this event gives young players a platform to compete, show their ability, and represent their families and countries,” he said.

Uganda last hosted the qualifiers in 2024 at Lugogo Indoor Arena, where both the Junior Silverbacks and Junior Gazelles won their respective titles.