Ayikoru, Tashobya raise the bar

UOC president Willam Blick has provided conducive environment for sports.

Kampala- Ugandan sport registered great stories majorly on the football fields in Egypt, the cricket ovals far way in Oman, African Games in Morocco and the Khalifa Stadium athletics track in Doha, Qatar. The ripple effect was felt by different administrators who either maintained their positions or went even higher at different continental and global sports bodies. Uganda Athletics Federation’s Beatrice Ayikoru and former Fuba president Ambrose Tashobya stand out. Let’s take a look at the list below.

Beatrice Ayikoru, World Athletics Council
Ayikoru’s command in athletics moved to a greater level after she became the first Ugandan ever to the World Athletics Council. Currently second vice-president at Uganda Olympic Committee and also general secretary of Uganda Athletics Federation, Ayikoru was one of 13 newly elected members at the 52nd IAAF Congress in Doha on September 25, days before the World Championships.

Previously on the IAAF World Cross-country Committee, Ayikoru is now one of the eight women on the 26-member World Athletics Council.

The new faces came on the same day Sebastian Coe was unanimously elected by 203 member nations for a second term as IAAF president while Ximena Restrepo, Sergey Bubka, Geoffrey Gardner and Nawaf Bin Mohammed Al Saud were elected vice presidents. The Council also has six Area Presidents and two members of the Athletes’ Commission, one man and one woman, including the chair.

Ambrose Tashobya, Fiba
He is widely credited for turning around basketball for the 12 years he was at the helm of Fuba. Now Tashobya even has more work to do for the hoops’ sport at the greater level. He is now the deputy chairman of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) 3x3 Commission. The Ugandan will deputise Russian Andrei Kirilenko as the new format of basketball seeks to take up more space in multi-sport events.

The announcement came after the new Fiba central board meeting at the Fiba World Cup in China back in September. Tashobya is already occupied as they 3x3 basketball prepares to debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Mark Kayongo, IWbF
When you mention the sport woodball in Uganda and some parts of Africa, one name comes up: Paul Mark Kayongo. He widely credited for the growth of the game in the country and the continent thanks to his vast experience particularly in management of finance and vast wealth. Early in the year, the Ndejje University finance manager was unanimously re-elected to the position of vice president of the International Woodball Federation (IWbF) for a consecutive four-year term during the elective congress in Matsu, Taiwan. Currently also the president of the Uganda Woodball Federation, Kayongo is also in charge of Africa with commission to develop woodball and also a member of the IWbF finance committee.

Peninah Kabenge, Fisu
Makerere University chief sports tutor Peninah Aligawesa Kabenge knows nearly all corners of sport in the country. The former secretary of the Uganda Olympic Committee rose again after she was elected the first-ever female vice president of the International University Sports Federation (Fisu) during the 36th general assembly in November.

Kabenge was elected for a four-year term and will serve under Oleg Matytsin. During the period, they will oversee the World University Games in Lucerne and Chengdu in 2021 and Lake Placid and Ekaterinberg in 2023. Kabenge is already the Association of Uganda University Sports president and as well, the vice president of the International Roll Ball Federation.

Justus Mugisha, World School Football
During Moses Magogo’s two-month suspension, Justus Mugisha must have enjoyed the privileges as the interim Fufa president. Now back to his first vice-president position, Mugisha had also had another slice of delight when he was announced as head of the World School Football Technical Committee during a special seating in Belgrade, Serbia in April. The Standard High School Zzana co-director is already the president of the Federation East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Associations (Feasssa).

Moses Magogo, Caf
The engineer may have had a rough end to 2019 but when Moses Magogo looks back, it’s been a largely successful one. His legacy as Fufa president will always be tainted by the two-month suspension by Fifa Ethics Committee for selling 2014 Brazil World Cup tickets allocated to Uganda to foreign parties. But, Magogo bounced back in December and in greater context, he is still an elected member of the Caf Executive Committee. Magogo first held the position from 2017 when he was co-opted by then newly elected Caf president Ahmad Ahmad.

And after the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, Magogo beat his rival Tanzanian Leodegar Tenga 33 to 19 votes in a poll during the 41st Caf Ordinary Assembly in Cairo in July and currently represents the Eastern and Central Africa Zone (Cecafa region).

Andrew Owor, Rugby Africa
Even in a thick of a storm, picking from his days as Uganda Rugby Union boss, Andrew Owor maintained a calm face. He actually needed that when his appointment to the position of the vice president of Rugby Africa in March. Owor was elected unopposed to the position during the 13th Rugby Africa AGM in Marrakech, Morocco and some voices believe he benefited from a controversy.

Kenya Rugby Union’s Richard Omwela had been fronted by English speaking nations but outgoing Rugby Africa President Abdelaziz Boudja and the South Africa Rugby Union instead chose to back Owor so as to block Omwela. Tunisians Khaled Babbou replaced Boudja.

Susan Anek, Cana
Susan Anek’s time at the helm of the Uganda Netball Federation has been a troubled albeit the outspoken success of the She Cranes who have featured at two World Cup editions in four years. Regardless, she continues to soar. Before the Africa Netball Championships in South Africa, she was elected to the position of vice president development for the Confederation of African Netball Associations (Cana) in South Africa.