Why the Bombers flopped in Glasgow and what lies ahead

For the first time ever, the Uganda boxing team, The Bombers, failed to win a single medal in a Commonwealth Games edition in which they were fielded.

The disappointment is even more painful considering it came in Scotland, where Uganda enjoyed its greatest-ever Commonwealth Games boxing campaign during the 1970 edition.

Then, in 1970 in Edinburgh, the Bombers produced a historic performance, winning five medals, including three golds courtesy of light flyweight James Odwori, lightweight Mohamed Muruli, and heavyweight Benson Masanda. Flyweight Leo Rwabwogo and featherweight Deogratius Musoke added two silver medals to complete Uganda's most successful outing at the Games.

Those five medals propelled Uganda to the top of the boxing medal standings ahead of powerhouses England, Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya—a feat the country has never repeated.

With those glorious memories in mind, the Bombers returned to Scotland hoping to revive their rich boxing heritage, only to endure their worst Commonwealth Games campaign on record.

Of the six boxers Uganda fielded in Glasgow, five reached the quarterfinals, but none survived the wrath of their opponents.

Heavyweight Abdul Aziz "Ringo," a man who has made headlines in many international media outlets for being the grandson of former Ugandan president Idi Amin, was disqualified after a headbutt against England’s Thomas Damar.

Bombers captain Nuhu "Muzaata Batteso" Batte was eliminated by another Briton, Patris Mughalzai, just like light heavyweight Alfred "Gorilla" Ojok, who lost to Dimeji Shittu, and flyweight Angel Katushabe, who fell to Ruby White.

Welterweight Emily Nakalema was eliminated by Australia's Eve Bryson, with lightweight Ibrahim Kemis being the only Ugandan boxer to exit in the first round.

Why the Bombers flopped

A barrage of factors has been cited for the Bombers' dismal campaign in Glasgow.

First of all, there was a poor preparation campaign, as the team never had any residential training camp. The situation would have worsened had city tycoon Hamis Kiggundu not bailed the team out by allowing them to use Hamz Fitness Gym for non-residential training sessions.

Observers say the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF)'s lack of a clear strategic vision and development system for the team, coupled with chronic underfunding—where UBF currently operates on an annual government allocation of Shs265 million, a budget many believe is insufficient to adequately prepare elite athletes for major international competitions—cost the team dearly.

Additionally, a decline in talent, a poor technical and lacking coaching system, and a lack of luck, where all five Bombers quarterfinalists were drawn against heavyweights, all contributed to their dismal campaign.

The fact that all six boxers in Glasgow were debutants with no international exposure or build-up fights added salt to an already bleeding wound.

UBF president Moses Muhangi admitted the team fell short of expectations.

"Truthfully, we did not perform as we had anticipated," he said. "We underperformed because we did not prepare well. Secondly, due to limited resources, we failed to organise build-up competitions to fine-tune the team. Luck was also not on our side," Muhangi told Vision Sport.

But Fred Kavuma, Muhangi’s former vice president, went bare-knuckle, placing the blame squarely on the federation's leadership.

"I am not surprised the team flopped. What else could you expect after the systems we had in place—such as the National Open Boxing Championships, which used to be the main platform for selecting the national team—were made dysfunctional by the current federation?" he said.

WHAT NEXT?

Despite the disappointing results, Muhangi insists the federation has already begun planning for the future. "We are going back to the drawing board to see a way forward. All that we are going to do will be in liaison with the National Council of Sports (NCS)," he said.

Muhangi also revealed that the federation is considering recruiting an experienced foreign coach, preferably from Cuba, to strengthen both the national team and the capacity of local coaches.

Other priorities include lobbying the government to establish a national boxing gymnasium and a dedicated boxing academy, as well as reviving boxing in schools to rebuild grassroots talent.