Ugandans make case for open water swimming

KAMPALA. Uganda Swimming Federation (USF) has with minimal success tried to establish open water swimming in the country.
Open water unlike swimming in pools takes place in place in outdoor bodies such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers.
With Lake Victoria surrounding large parts of Kampala, it is no surprise that USF think this would be a niche discipline but attempts to realise this from as far back as 2013 have always fallen through.

“It is an open secret that Lake Victoria is infested with bilharzia especially at the shores,” USF president Dr. Donald Rukare, shared at a media clinic last weekend.
“So we cannot put young children at that risk. Although maybe what we need to find out now is how the people that swim at beaches and shores do it.”

While Dr. Rukare made these remarks, 14 year olds Daryl Kyabayinze and his Dolphins teammate Hayyan Kisitu were representing the country in a 500m open water event in the Oanob Dam at the Cana Zone IV Championships in Windhoek, Namibia.
Kisitu won silver emulating Nicholas Malan, Uganda’s first representative and silver medalist in the 1km open water swimming at Zone IV (Mauritius 2016).

In their first crack at open water swimming, Ambala Atuhaire negotiated the 5km course on Lake Boukourdane in one hour, 11 minutes, 15 seconds and 99 microseconds (1:11.15.99) to finish 14th out of 23 participants while Adnan Kabuye was 17th with 1:22.55.48 during the Cana Seniors in Algeria last September.

All this speaks to how quick Ugandan swimmers adapt to new challenges even away from home. You only need to look at how quickly some learnt to play water polo last year.
“The things children can do when you show them that you believe in them are immense,” national team coach Muzafaru Muwanguzi, told SCORE.
It is predictable that Ugandan swimmers can achieve a lot more if open water swimming can also be trained at home.

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