Nnabagereka wishes Special Olympics team success

By Norman Katende

The Nnabagereka of Buganda, Sylvia Nagginda Luswata, on Friday paid a courtesy call to the Special Olympics Uganda team as they prepared for the 2015 World Special Olympics Summer Games.

The competitions will start on July 25 and end August 3 in Los Angeles, California (USA).

The Nnabagereka, who is the patron for Special Olympics Uganda, was thrilled by how well the team has prepared and said she believed in the team.

She said: "We thank you for accepting to train and we are very happy that what you have exhibited today shows how far you have come.

“You have already made us proud and we believe you will fly Uganda's flag higher.”

The team is expected to fly out this weekend aboard the Ethiopian Airlines.
 

Training in progress at Lugogo on Friday. (Credit: Norman Katende)

The Buganda queen thanked the flight company for giving the team a discount on their tickets. She also thanked the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) who offered uniforms and an extra $5,000 (about sh16m) to the team.

"I am glad you have prepared yourself to take on the best,” said the monarch at the Lugogo Hockey pitch in Kampala where the football team was training.

“The good thing is that in Special Olympics, everyone completes and we are sure you are going to complete and come back with good results.”

Nagginda had earlier joined the volleyball team, which will be taking part in the unified sport – where people with and without intellectual disabilities are brought together on the same team to compete.

Uganda will be participating in athletics, swimming, volleyball and football at the Games that have attracted over 7,000 athletes from 150 countries.

The team is however still looking for finances to make their stay and competing in the games a success with an online donation being sent to the Special Olympics.


Donation link http://akabbo.ug/campaigns/special-olympics-uganda-2/#

 
(Pictures by Norman Katende)

Ethiopian Airlines country manager Abeba Angessa with the team

true
The Nnabagereka mingles with some of the parents

Angessa hands a package to the queen as Special Olympics administrator Genevieve Bamwidhukire looks on

The Buganda monarch poses for a photo with members of the board and technical staff . . .

 . . . and then here with the players

 The Nnabagereka watches one of the teams training

A player being attended to during training

Training in progress on a hot Friday at Lugogo