Uganda overcome swimming boycott to win regional title

Steve Magera of Uganda in action to win the boys’ 15-16 years 200m SC butterfly.PHOTOS/ISMAIL KEZAALA
 

What you need to know:

  • Zone III stoked the flames – which now threaten the future of a perennially under-represented 17 and over girls’ age group – unknowingly when Kenya’s Victoria Okumu, who was let to swim 100m backstroke alone on Thursday, was stopped from swimming 100m butterfly on Friday as officials belatedly admitted they had erred in judgement.

National swimming coach Muzafaru Muwanguzi threw the team and the Cana Zone III Championships organisers into the shark’s teeth on Saturday after stopping his swimmers from taking part and then stepping down before Uganda returned to claim top honours with 2,827 points at Kampala International School of Uganda (Kisu) - Bukoto.

The controversial moment peaked when Muwanguzi protested the late application of an adopted Fina (world governing body) rule that requires races to take place when they have at least four entrants.
Fina allows federations to “adopt their own age group rules” in line with technical rules of the sport so Zone III revised it allowing for races to happen when there are at least three entries from three countries.

What they did not do is include it in the summons as required by their own rules (17.6). Instead they explained it as ‘Fina rules apply,’ which armed Muwanguzi’s backers.
If it were about insisting on Fina rules, another rule on timing could render times taken at Zone III events irrelevant, national coach Tonnie Kasujja opined.
The rule says a “timing device that is terminated by an official shall be considered a watch. Such manual times must be taken by three timekeepers.”

The Zones’ event use a semi-automatic timing system manned by one official per lane using a manual stop watch.
Zone III stoked the flames – which now threaten the future of a perennially under-represented 17 and over girls’ age group – unknowingly when Kenya’s Victoria Okumu, who was let to swim 100m backstroke alone on Thursday, was stopped from swimming 100m butterfly on Friday as officials belatedly admitted they had erred in judgement.

“I think what they are telling these girls is that once you turn 17, forget about Zone III as your events will be cancelled since other countries won’t have swimmers,” Kenya coach Anthony Mureithii said as Okumu and teammate Nuryan Bagha missed the 100m free and 200m individual medley for this age group that attracted only five swimmers from the Zone’s 11 countries.

Okumu, who ironically did not lower times when she had competition, showed she could compete against the clock by lowering her 100m back time from 1:13.21 to 1:12.59.
The flame spread on Saturday when Uganda’s Esther Atoo and Rashidah Najjuma, who both did the age group’s 50m breaststroke on Thursday, were marshalled after being included on the day’s start list for 100m breast, again in another error by meet director Max Kanyerezi. 

Uganda won the championship with Tanzania (left) in second and Kenya (right) third.PHOTOS/ISMAIL KEZAALA

Kanyerezi, however, stopped them as they made their way to the deck, prompting Muwanguzi to pull out the home.
Cana Zone III president Donald Rukare and USF president Moses Mwase threatened to suspend Muwanguzi for indiscipline but the boycott had exposed the disorganisation that marinated an otherwise good event.

Swimming results
Open water – 3km
14 and under girls
Rana Hani    SUD    41:36:67
K. Deshpande    UGA    41:54:44
15 and over girls
Swagia Mubiru    UGA     41:39:16
Karla Mugisha    UGA    47:09:57
Fatima Bashier    SUD     54:32:09
14 and under boys
Tyaba Kigundu    UGA    37:17:36 Akram Lubega    UGA     37:22:03 
Kyle Lugonjo    UGA    45:00:66
15 and over boys
Mikka Kigundu    UGA    37:20:50 
Yosif Bashier    SUD    43:08:90
M. Kamal    SUD    46:45:03
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