Federation aims to revamp Jinja aquatics

Jinja City offers Uganda Swimming Federation (USF) the most feasible launch-pad to expand their wings beyond Kampala and Wakiso.

Jinja is littered with swimming pools, especially in hotels, and with the presence of Lake Victoria, it can also be a hotbed for open water swimming. 

In 2019, USF started an effort to re-establish Jinja’s swimming prowess of old through its coaches Erick Kisero and Peter Mugisha – then vice president – who trained over 20 coaches in swimming and water polo.

That year, Sardine Swim Club even managed to participate in the 2019 National Club Championships in Kampala.

However, there has been next to no activity from other Jinja-based clubs. The raging Covid-19 seems to have made the situation worse.

“We need to assess our strengths and pick up the pace,” USF president Moses Mwase, urged coaches when he met them last Saturday.

Mapping out amenities
“The work needed to promote this sport is a lot and we cannot do it alone. You need to look at organizing competitions for at least open water swimming,” Mwase added as he completed a tour to Mbale, Bugiri and Jinja in which he was mapping out swimming pools.

The journey to spread aquatics is one USF have to brace for as it will be long and challenging. For example, only one pool of about 10 yards was found in Bugiri at York Nursery and Primary School.

As far as open water is concerned, the federation has committed to having waters tested for Bilharzia. But there could be other concerns too such as finding open platforms from which swimmers can access the lake during competitions.

A boat-trip, with locals, to Samuka Island also revealed that parts of the lake could be infested with crocodiles.

The coaches, on their part, pointed to a lack of identity and organization as one of the reasons they struggle to access pools in the area prompting USF to appoint Hassan Latif as their coordinator.

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