Government owes Bombers more recognition, says Muhangi
Rewarded. Masembe (L), Kavuma (C) and Baleke (R) after receiving their cash rewards from UBF boss Muhangi (2nd L). PHOTO BY ABDUL-NASSER SSEMUGABI
What you need to know:
- Muhangi blamed government for not funding the Bombers preparations and limiting the boxing slots to only 10.
- But Julius Aloka, a Uganda Prisons commissioner, advised Muhangi to do the right things instead of lamenting.
Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) boss Moses Muhangi is not about to surrender his fight for fairness until boxing gets its due share of the national sports budget.
While handing each of the three boxing medallists Shs1m in cash during the ‘meet and greet the champs’ breakfast at Kati Kati Restaurant yesterday, Muhangi reiterated his protest against the way football is pampered at the expense of other sports.
He wondered how the Bombers, the national boxing team, received nothing from government after bagging three medals [two silver and a bronze] at the African Games in Rabat, yet the Cranes, the national football team, received a whopping Shs3.7b from President Museveni after they dropped out at the second round of the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
“Boxing, badminton, weightlifting won medals but all they got was food at the dinner…yet footballers who won nothing got millions,” Muhangi ranted. “There’s a huge problem in the way government appreciates our athletes. You can’t say that national representation by a boxer isn’t as important as one by a footballer.”
Each athlete who represented Uganda in Rabat got an allowance of Shs3.7m.
Muhangi blamed government for not funding the Bombers preparations and limiting the boxing slots to only 10.
But Julius Aloka, a Uganda Prisons commissioner, advised Muhangi to do the right things instead of lamenting.
“Some of the issues you raised are genuine, but lamenting without doing the right things won’t help matters,” Aloka said.
