Badminton star loses contact with team
Aug 01, 2008
THE Team Uganda administration was last evening battling to get in touch with badminton star Edwin Ekiring and confirm his arrival date in Beijing for the Olympic Games.
By Norman Katende
in Beijing, China
THE Team Uganda administration was last evening battling to get in touch with badminton star Edwin Ekiring and confirm his arrival date in Beijing for the Olympic Games.
Ekiring, who was expected to be in Germany at the High Performance Training Centre, was reported to have flown to the Netherlands for an international badminton championship and has since gone in communicado.
The competition was expected to have ended over a week ago, but Ekiring’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Badminton coach Simon Mugabi has spent the last three days frantically trying to get in touch with the player.
It was not until yesterday that he got in touch with one of Ekiring’s coaches at the training centre, who raised further alarm bells when he said that he did not know the racketeer’s whereabouts and that his cellphone was mysteriously switched off. But Mugabi put on a brave face amidst the gloom.
“We will keep on trying. What we are trying to do is to see that we confirm his arrival in Beijing in time so that he doesn’t get stuck at the airport,†he remarked. All accreditation validation is done at the airport, before the participants and officials are allowed to move into Beijing.
Even Chef de Mission Rogers Ddungu tried to call Ekiring’s German coach yesterday afternoon but got the same message. “We will keep on trying,†Ddungu said.
Already, the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) has been informed of the development and they too are striving to get in touch with the badminton star.
“For the time being, we are going to set his arrival date on August 4 as we try to get in touch,†UOC games coordinator Salim Musoke is said to have told the officials yesterday.
in Beijing, China
THE Team Uganda administration was last evening battling to get in touch with badminton star Edwin Ekiring and confirm his arrival date in Beijing for the Olympic Games.
Ekiring, who was expected to be in Germany at the High Performance Training Centre, was reported to have flown to the Netherlands for an international badminton championship and has since gone in communicado.
The competition was expected to have ended over a week ago, but Ekiring’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Badminton coach Simon Mugabi has spent the last three days frantically trying to get in touch with the player.
It was not until yesterday that he got in touch with one of Ekiring’s coaches at the training centre, who raised further alarm bells when he said that he did not know the racketeer’s whereabouts and that his cellphone was mysteriously switched off. But Mugabi put on a brave face amidst the gloom.
“We will keep on trying. What we are trying to do is to see that we confirm his arrival in Beijing in time so that he doesn’t get stuck at the airport,†he remarked. All accreditation validation is done at the airport, before the participants and officials are allowed to move into Beijing.
Even Chef de Mission Rogers Ddungu tried to call Ekiring’s German coach yesterday afternoon but got the same message. “We will keep on trying,†Ddungu said.
Already, the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) has been informed of the development and they too are striving to get in touch with the badminton star.
“For the time being, we are going to set his arrival date on August 4 as we try to get in touch,†UOC games coordinator Salim Musoke is said to have told the officials yesterday.