Bankers swap ties, suits for sports wear

Bankers switched from their comfort zones of banking halls to the greens when they met for the Bankers Gala at Kyambogo University Sports Grounds.

From as early as 8am, players from different banking and financial institutions were busy collecting as many points as possible from a wide range of disciplines like basketball, soccer, tug of war, athletics, 3 legged race, sack race and bottle balancing. It was the beginning of the annual competition, organised by Beyond Sports Organization, which ended on Sunday at Lugogo Indoor Stadium with indoor games.

The usual suspects like Housing Finance, UBA, Finance Trust, DTB and Standard Chartered among others all showed up with poise but a new face in I&M Bank made the best of their debut appearance with a quarterfinal finish in football. They were 1-0 winners over UGAFODE, drew 0-0 with ABSA, beat Equity Bank 1-0, pipped Opportunity Bank 1-0 and were eventually stopped by Stanbic Bank in the quarters.

For bankers who love sport, this competition is one to look out for as it offers them the opportunity to express themselves and compete against fellow bankers. This year’s edition is running under the theme ‘Fitness, Wellness, Networking and Teamwork. “We take pride in the impact the gala has made within the banking industry. And to all the participants, your patronage is vital to the gala’s overall success. It was amazing to see bankers leaving the business world, and coming to the fitness world to compete in a healthy way,”  said Goretti Masadde, the chief executive officer, Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services.