Bombers Off
Mar 14, 2004
THE national boxing team departs for the Africa Championship in Gaborone this morning confident of securing more qualifiers for the Athens Olympics.
By James Bakama
in Hima
THE national boxing team departs for the Africa Championship in Gaborone this morning confident of securing more qualifiers for the Athens Olympics.
Boxing legend Leo Rwabwogo is amongst those sure that Uganda’s four-man side has the necessary firepower to flare in Botswana.
Rwabwogo, an Olympic silver and bronze medallist, believes flyweight Martin Mubiru, Sam Rukundo (lightweight), Sadat Tebazalwa (welter) and Tony Sekabira (l/heavy) are all potential finalists in the week-long competition.
Boxers from light fly to light heavyweight, who fight their way to Sunday’s final in Botswana’s capital, will earn the 18 remaining slots on Africa’s Olympic quota of 60 fighters.
Uganda so far has Jolly Katongole (l/fly), Brian Mayanja (feather) and Joseph Lubega (middle) as its qualifiers for the prestigious quadrennial games scheduled for August in the Mediterranean state.
The team, together with the three qualifiers and bantamweight Atanus Mugerwa who was dropped because of injury, jetted in to Entebbe from Kasese yesterday and were booked in Windsor hotel ahead of an early morning departure.
Rwabwogo, an Ezra Boxing Board (EBB) technical committee member, was together with national coach Dick Katende monitoring Uganda’s four fighters at a camp in Hima.
“I am not only impressed that they are fit, but also in their required weights. Reducing weight during competition is one of the worst things a fighters can encounter,†said the Olympian.
Rwabwogo together with Katende, seasoned referee/ judge David Agong and team manager Johnson Kasajja, are the officials travelling with the team.
Stiff competition is expected in Gaborone with several sub-Saharan countries, which did not make the expensive trip to Casablanca, battling for the final places.
Ends
in Hima
THE national boxing team departs for the Africa Championship in Gaborone this morning confident of securing more qualifiers for the Athens Olympics.
Boxing legend Leo Rwabwogo is amongst those sure that Uganda’s four-man side has the necessary firepower to flare in Botswana.
Rwabwogo, an Olympic silver and bronze medallist, believes flyweight Martin Mubiru, Sam Rukundo (lightweight), Sadat Tebazalwa (welter) and Tony Sekabira (l/heavy) are all potential finalists in the week-long competition.
Boxers from light fly to light heavyweight, who fight their way to Sunday’s final in Botswana’s capital, will earn the 18 remaining slots on Africa’s Olympic quota of 60 fighters.
Uganda so far has Jolly Katongole (l/fly), Brian Mayanja (feather) and Joseph Lubega (middle) as its qualifiers for the prestigious quadrennial games scheduled for August in the Mediterranean state.
The team, together with the three qualifiers and bantamweight Atanus Mugerwa who was dropped because of injury, jetted in to Entebbe from Kasese yesterday and were booked in Windsor hotel ahead of an early morning departure.
Rwabwogo, an Ezra Boxing Board (EBB) technical committee member, was together with national coach Dick Katende monitoring Uganda’s four fighters at a camp in Hima.
“I am not only impressed that they are fit, but also in their required weights. Reducing weight during competition is one of the worst things a fighters can encounter,†said the Olympian.
Rwabwogo together with Katende, seasoned referee/ judge David Agong and team manager Johnson Kasajja, are the officials travelling with the team.
Stiff competition is expected in Gaborone with several sub-Saharan countries, which did not make the expensive trip to Casablanca, battling for the final places.
Ends