Oloka gets IOC award
Oloka at UOC offices yesterday. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA.
KAMPALA
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) through Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) has recognised Gabriel Oloka with the Coubertin trophy.
Oluka was recognised for his endless commitment towards strengthening the spirit of olympism, not only in Uganda but also around the world. “Forty five years of grilling administration and active participation in sports has really been something,” Oloka, a former secretary general of UOC, said at a press briefing yesterday.
The 70-year-old is the fifth Ugandan to be awarded by IOC after Rev Polycarp Kakooza (RIP), former UOC president Maj Francis Nyangweso (RIP) Nicholas P’aminga and Seth Obura. The award is named after Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the International Olympic Committee.
Currently the general secretary of the Uganda Shooting Federation, Oloka was shortlisted with three others who the Awards and Merits Committee head Don Rukare preferred to keep anonymous. “We consulted widely in the circles of UOC and when we submitted the list with Oloka’s name, the executive agreed that he deserves the award,” Rukare, who also doubles as the current UOC general secretary said.
Oloka’s involvement in sports dates back to 1967 when he was elected as the executive of the Mubende District Football Association. He was UOC secretary general from 1994 to 2009.
