Kampala Beach Volleyball Open preparations take shape

By Charles Mutebi

WHEN it comes to the FIVB Kampala Beach Volleyball Open, life will apparently not be a beach. 

Or put simply, the venue for the September 24-29 beach volleyball tournament that is due in Uganda and expected (at last count) to attract 24 countries from around the world, will not be on the shores of one of Uganda’s several enviable water bodies. 

Instead, the event will be held at Lugogo in the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) Auxilliary Parking. 

For many Ugandans, this may come as surprise but in actual fact, you don’t need a beach to play beach volleyball – just a specialised court with high quality Redhill 28 sand. 

And as New Vision Sport reported on Thursday, 80% of the said sand has already arrived in the country, with the rest to follow soon. 

Eddie Okila, whose House of Talent are organising the Kampala Open, expressed delight after securing the UMA venue and explained why it had been selected. 

“We are very glad that we have reached an understanding with UMA for this location,” said Okila. 

“This is the most ideal location for the games, because it is within easy reach of all concerned parties from within Uganda as well as for the visiting teams and spectators who are mostly expected to reside within the town centre.” 

He added: “We are going to start building up the courts as per the world federation requirements as soon as we finalize contracts with our suppliers for the construction. That should be kicking off any moment now.” 

For UMA, it was an easy decision to avail their facility because it comes on the eve of the 2013 Uganda Interna¬tional Trade Fair, starting on October 2. 

Thousands of visitors can easily be lured to Trade Fair once the Kampala Open is done. 

“Uganda Manufacturers Association grounds are the perfect venue to host these games and we are proud to offer the fields to House of Talent free of charge,” explained UMA executive director Sebaggala Kigozi. 

“This will offer us an opportunity to tap into the crowd that these games will bring to Uganda. 

“I would like to encourage the UMA members to show case their products and services during the games.”