Ex-Uganda Olympics boss dead
Feb 16, 2011
FORMER Uganda Olympics Committee (UOC) President, Maj. Gen. Francis Nyangweso, 71, is dead. A family source confirmed that he passed away Tuesday evening.
FORMER Uganda Olympics Committee (UOC) President, Maj. Gen. Francis Nyangweso, 71, is dead. A family source confirmed that he passed away Tuesday evening.
Nyangweso’s last public appearance was on Saturday at a stormy UOC national assembly.
The event at which Nyangweso received an award for his long service to sports took place at the Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala.
The ex-soldier dedicated much of his entire life to sports, first as a boxer who punched at the Olympics level and later as an administrator. Nyangweso competed at the 1960 Olympics in Rome Italy.
As a soldier, Nyangweso served at the highest level as an army chief of staff and Minister of defence in the 70s. Once, he acted as the head of state, when the then president Idi Amin was was on holiday.
Current UOC president Rogers Ddungu who is away on a private visit in Namibia, confirmed he had learnt of Nyangweso's passing.
“Nyangweso was a great son of Uganda. It is a great loss for Uganda and international sports,†Ddungu said on phone from Namibia.
He said the committee would handle all the funeral arrangements.
At the time of his death, Nyangweso was a serving member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Despite being restricted to life on a wheel chair after his leg was recently amputated at Mulago Hospital, a strong-willed Nyangweso told the recent UOC assembly that was 'back and willing' to serve to spread Olympism in Uganda and the world.
Nyangweso had been bedridden for several months, battling diabetes and chronic renal anemia.
He was president of the Uganda Olympic Committee 1981 to 2009 when he was ousted by his former vice-president Ddungu.
NYANGWESO FACT FILE
MARITAL STATUS
Was Married; six children
EDUCATION
College, Bank; Military Academy (Great Britain) (1963), Infantry School (1965)
CAREER
Former banker; course director of administration; military chief of staff, Commander General of the armed forces; Minister of Defense; Minister of Culture, Community Development, Youth and Sports; Ambassador; Chief of Protocol at the Foreign Office; Vice-Chairman, National Chamber of Commerce, Kampala; Executive Director of a property and motor firm
SPORTS PRACTISED
Boxing, football, tennis, volleyball
SPORTS CAREER
National Boxing Team Captain (1958-1962); gold medal at the Hapoel Games (1961); East African Champion (1955-1962); bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games in Perth (1962); participant at the Games of the XVII Olympiad in Rome (1960)
SPORTS ADMINISTRATION
Boxing team manager at the Games of the XIX Olympiad in Mexico City in 1968; Chairman of the National Council of sports (1970-1975, 1987-1992); founder and President of National Armed Forces Sports Federation (1967-1972); Chef de Mission at the Games in Munich in 1972 and Moscow in 1980; President of the National Boxing Federation (1967-1972, 1979-1995); President of the African Boxing Confederation (1974-1978) then Honorary President (1995); Executive Board member of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) (1981-1986) then Vice-President (1986-2006); Chairman of the CISM World Championships in Jinja (Uganda) (1984); President AIBA Africa Bureau (1988-2006); Vice President of the ANOCA (1989-1999) then President (1999-2001); member of the ANOC Executive Board (1986-1989); ANOC Vice-President (1999-2001); member of the ANOC Sports Venues Commission; President of the NOC (1981-2009)
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Medals of Honour of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia; Commander’s Medal of Togo; ANOC Founder Member Award
IOC HISTORY
Member of the following Commissions: Culture and Olympic Education (1988-), Olympic Solidarity (as ANOC Vice-President, 2000-2001).
Nyangweso’s last public appearance was on Saturday at a stormy UOC national assembly.
The event at which Nyangweso received an award for his long service to sports took place at the Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala.
The ex-soldier dedicated much of his entire life to sports, first as a boxer who punched at the Olympics level and later as an administrator. Nyangweso competed at the 1960 Olympics in Rome Italy.
As a soldier, Nyangweso served at the highest level as an army chief of staff and Minister of defence in the 70s. Once, he acted as the head of state, when the then president Idi Amin was was on holiday.
Current UOC president Rogers Ddungu who is away on a private visit in Namibia, confirmed he had learnt of Nyangweso's passing.
“Nyangweso was a great son of Uganda. It is a great loss for Uganda and international sports,†Ddungu said on phone from Namibia.
He said the committee would handle all the funeral arrangements.
At the time of his death, Nyangweso was a serving member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Despite being restricted to life on a wheel chair after his leg was recently amputated at Mulago Hospital, a strong-willed Nyangweso told the recent UOC assembly that was 'back and willing' to serve to spread Olympism in Uganda and the world.
Nyangweso had been bedridden for several months, battling diabetes and chronic renal anemia.
He was president of the Uganda Olympic Committee 1981 to 2009 when he was ousted by his former vice-president Ddungu.
NYANGWESO FACT FILE
MARITAL STATUS
Was Married; six children
EDUCATION
College, Bank; Military Academy (Great Britain) (1963), Infantry School (1965)
CAREER
Former banker; course director of administration; military chief of staff, Commander General of the armed forces; Minister of Defense; Minister of Culture, Community Development, Youth and Sports; Ambassador; Chief of Protocol at the Foreign Office; Vice-Chairman, National Chamber of Commerce, Kampala; Executive Director of a property and motor firm
SPORTS PRACTISED
Boxing, football, tennis, volleyball
SPORTS CAREER
National Boxing Team Captain (1958-1962); gold medal at the Hapoel Games (1961); East African Champion (1955-1962); bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games in Perth (1962); participant at the Games of the XVII Olympiad in Rome (1960)
SPORTS ADMINISTRATION
Boxing team manager at the Games of the XIX Olympiad in Mexico City in 1968; Chairman of the National Council of sports (1970-1975, 1987-1992); founder and President of National Armed Forces Sports Federation (1967-1972); Chef de Mission at the Games in Munich in 1972 and Moscow in 1980; President of the National Boxing Federation (1967-1972, 1979-1995); President of the African Boxing Confederation (1974-1978) then Honorary President (1995); Executive Board member of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) (1981-1986) then Vice-President (1986-2006); Chairman of the CISM World Championships in Jinja (Uganda) (1984); President AIBA Africa Bureau (1988-2006); Vice President of the ANOCA (1989-1999) then President (1999-2001); member of the ANOC Executive Board (1986-1989); ANOC Vice-President (1999-2001); member of the ANOC Sports Venues Commission; President of the NOC (1981-2009)
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Medals of Honour of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia; Commander’s Medal of Togo; ANOC Founder Member Award
IOC HISTORY
Member of the following Commissions: Culture and Olympic Education (1988-), Olympic Solidarity (as ANOC Vice-President, 2000-2001).