Ugandan rowing coach Batenga selected for WISH high performance program

Ugandan female rowing coach Batenga Nakisozi is one of three coaches selected by World Rowing to attend the Women in Sport High-Performance Pathway (WISH) Program.

Nakisozi will participate in Cohort 5 alongside Viktoriia Maydachevska from Ukraine and Maria Georgiou from Cyprus. This selection followed an internal process by World Rowing, which invited national federations to nominate elite women coaches with the potential to excel in high-performance coaching.

These talented coaches will join peers from around the globe for a residential week in Cohort 5, scheduled from July 28 to August 1, 2025, in Hertfordshire, UK.

 This week marks the beginning of an intensive 21-month leadership journey designed to enhance confidence, strengthen leadership skills, and develop sport-specific competencies for women coaching at the elite level. “It is truly a great honour and a profound privilege, one that I do not take for granted, even for a moment,” Batenga stated. 

“This opportunity is a powerful endorsement of years of hard work and unwavering passion to grow as a coach. Being selected from many applicants worldwide is incredibly humbling.”

She emphasised that this opportunity will directly impact the growth of rowing in Uganda, particularly in leadership, coaching, talent identification, and high-performance development. 

“Through WISH, I will gain advanced leadership and strategic skills that will improve how we structure and deliver coaching programs at all levels of the sport. It will also expose me to global best practices in athlete development, coach education, and sports governance. 

“By applying these insights, I aim to build a stronger coaching culture in Uganda—one that nurtures talent, supports athlete well-being, and creates clear performance pathways. This achievement isn’t just a personal milestone; it represents an investment in the long-term development of rowing in our country,” she added. 

The WISH Pathway includes a 5-day residential experience in the UK, eight online leadership sessions, eight leadership mentoring sessions, four sport-specific mentoring sessions, and 360-degree feedback with tailored development plans.

World Rowing is also exploring exchange opportunities during the residential period in collaboration with British Rowing, offering the three coaches, additional value through experiential learning. Funded by Olympic Solidarity, WISH was created to help meet the IOC Gender Equality Objective 15, which aims to increase the presence of women coaches at the Olympic Games and World Championships. Since its inception, 125 coaches from 60 countries and 22 sports have participated in the program.