Bodybuilders stuck at Dubai airport
Dec 03, 2007
UGANDA’s three-man team to the 8th Africa men body building championship in Batna, Algeria is stranded in Dubai after missing their scheduled flight to Algiers.<br>They spent eight hours in transit at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport Sunday enroute to Dubai following a delayed Kenya Airway
By Micheal Nsubuga in Algeria
UGANDA’s three-man team to the 8th Africa men body building championship in Batna, Algeria is stranded in Dubai after missing their scheduled flight to Algiers.
They spent eight hours in transit at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport Sunday enroute to Dubai following a delayed Kenya Airways flight from Lagos.
The flight KQ 310 which was supposed to set off at 7.15pm for Dubai, only managed to offer apologies up to 11.30pm when it finally set off from Nairobi.
The team arrived in Dubai at 6.30am yesterday and will now spend an extra two days in Dubai as they found no other connecting flight to their destination. The next flight to Algiers will be at 3.00am tomorrow.
John Bosco Ssebabi (welter), Ivan Byekwaso (Light middle) and Fred Munyagwa (light heavy) who will lead Uganda’s hunt for medals all looked sleepy, tired and frustrated.
Team leader and president of the UBBA Twaha Ddungu’s prayer now is that the team makes it in time for the weigh-in. He had to make frantic calls to Algiers to confirm the team was on its way and remained optimistic they will put up a good show.
However the already exhausted team would have already endured over 48 hours in transit by Wednesday, will still have to endure another 500km ( 5 hours) on the road from Algiers to Batna where the competition venue is.
If they make it in time, the Nile Special Lager sponsored team will be pre-judged together with other participants on Thursday ahead of the final round on Friday.
The Championship will climax with an African body building congress on Friday.
The team left Sunday in high spirits ready to improve their 8th position from last year’s meet.
Byekwaso, 25, the reigning Mr. Kampala is raring to take on the best despite the two week preparation he has undergone.
‘
‘We were only told to prepare for this championship about two weeks ago and that might cost us somehow but all the same we’re going to show them,’’ Byekwaso confidently stated as he trained at the airport.
UGANDA’s three-man team to the 8th Africa men body building championship in Batna, Algeria is stranded in Dubai after missing their scheduled flight to Algiers.
They spent eight hours in transit at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport Sunday enroute to Dubai following a delayed Kenya Airways flight from Lagos.
The flight KQ 310 which was supposed to set off at 7.15pm for Dubai, only managed to offer apologies up to 11.30pm when it finally set off from Nairobi.
The team arrived in Dubai at 6.30am yesterday and will now spend an extra two days in Dubai as they found no other connecting flight to their destination. The next flight to Algiers will be at 3.00am tomorrow.
John Bosco Ssebabi (welter), Ivan Byekwaso (Light middle) and Fred Munyagwa (light heavy) who will lead Uganda’s hunt for medals all looked sleepy, tired and frustrated.
Team leader and president of the UBBA Twaha Ddungu’s prayer now is that the team makes it in time for the weigh-in. He had to make frantic calls to Algiers to confirm the team was on its way and remained optimistic they will put up a good show.
However the already exhausted team would have already endured over 48 hours in transit by Wednesday, will still have to endure another 500km ( 5 hours) on the road from Algiers to Batna where the competition venue is.
If they make it in time, the Nile Special Lager sponsored team will be pre-judged together with other participants on Thursday ahead of the final round on Friday.
The Championship will climax with an African body building congress on Friday.
The team left Sunday in high spirits ready to improve their 8th position from last year’s meet.
Byekwaso, 25, the reigning Mr. Kampala is raring to take on the best despite the two week preparation he has undergone.
‘
‘We were only told to prepare for this championship about two weeks ago and that might cost us somehow but all the same we’re going to show them,’’ Byekwaso confidently stated as he trained at the airport.