Cycling's 12 months of inactivity

Imagine 12 months of inactivity on the racing tracking and administrative discombobulation off it.

That was Ugandan cycling in 2016.

A sport that has immeasurable national potential continued its slide down the abyss on the watch of Sam Muwonge, who is either the president of the Uganda Cycling Federation (UCF) or chairman Uganda Cycling Association (UCA).

The uncertainty as to his actual title is but a tip of iceberg in the turbulent sea that is local cycling presently. The opposition claim his rightful title is a chairman of the UCA. Muwonge says he's the UCF president.

Empty semantics one might allege, except there is an implication on the term of office between chairman and president.

As UCA chairman, Muwonge would be restricted to two years and then elections, as president it doubles.

Either way, Muwonge has spent nearly a decade at the helm of national cycling although 2016 left little doubt his exit is overdue.

There was no cycling event with anything nearing national status in 2016.

The Enduro, which was the closest to an event of repute, was the brainchild of the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda.

Whatever other events happened either suffered the boycott of prominent clubs or were not directly connected to the cycling body.

It was basically disaster on wheels for the sport, which is ironically how Muwonge wants it because it allows him to maintain monopoly on whatever perks accrue to him as the only recognised leader of the sport.

He has been accused by former executive member Adam Kalopa of "taking business men in places of real cyclists for international events".

Kalopa even complained of Muwonge taking "a pregnant woman as a cyclist for an international event".

Of course, this kind of scenario is nothing new in Ugandan sport nor is the on-going attempt by Muwonge's opponents to forcefully remove him from power.

But that leads us to another administrative muddle because while Kalopa and his colleague convinced the Ministry of Education and Sport to call for an extraordinary general assembly (November 27).

Muwonge only recently received a certificate from the National Council of Sports on behalf of a ‘compliant' UCF.

In other words, we've not heard the last of this, which only means more trouble awaits the sport in 2017.

The Uganda Cycling Association executive was dissolved by the extraordinary general assembly.