Pool struggles to rise from Covid-induced slumber

Pool players say they are in lots of pain after the sport has failed to wake up from the coronavirus pandemic.
Pool, alongside other sporting activities, were initially stopped in March 2020 during the first total lockdown midway through the delayed season but there is no end to their travails in sight. Since then, only one official event has been held by the Pool Association of Uganda (PAU).

National team captain Alfred Gumikiriza aka Black Sheep said in an interview that: “I have come to realise that the pain is worse. Pool has been asleep for so long yet many players depend on salaries and bonuses from the sport to survive,” Gumikiriza said.

Apart from the invitational PAU Pool Grand Open at Pot It Bar Namasuba in March, many players have been participating in non-sanctioned money matches for survival.
Bob Trubish, the PAU chairman expressed his desire to return the sport scientifically but no real signals have been made despite pool being ranked among the low risk sports.

“It is possible to have pool back in a gala format,” Gumikiriza, suggested, stressing that pool arenas can be used to host games instead of bars which are under lock and key.
His opinion is supported by pool enthusiast Bob Kateregga, who manages top seed Ibrahim Sejjemba. He also owns Side spin Pool Arena in Nansana.
Easy to observe SOPs
“It is possible to have only players in the arena as we observe Standard Operation Procedures. I find it workable,” he says.

It can actually work. The Nakawa Open Championship at Tickles and Giggles concluded safely on June 20 with Ibrahim Kayanja coming on top. There were no fans. SOPs were strictly observed while live games were transmitted on Facebook.
Peter Kyobe, the PAU publicist says that live broadcasts have become an important part to pool since the pandemic.
“Fans really appreciate and we at times have more than 500 people follow games. The interest is there and this is an opportunity to grow the sport,” Kyobe said.

According to Robert Kayanja, an executive committee member, the latest lockdown was actually a major setback. He explains that there was an event lined up with support from Vyom, the company that sponsors Wakiso Giants.
“We have had to postpone it to another date. But they had already committed to support with home appliances and cash prizes,” Kayanja says.
Yet the administrators have been slow on sponsors given the fact that the principle sponsors are beer companies whose business is slow since bars are closed.