His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the president of the Republic of Uganda yesterday evening addressed the nation. For the sports family, this was a long-awaited speech as it was highly anticipated that finally there would be a lift on sports activities in the country. Well, the news was music to the ears of many.
Among many other things, President Museveni gave a green light to the resumption of sports in the nation mentioning that:
- Open-air activities of sports will re-open provided there are no spectators and the players are tested for COVID-19 72 hours before. This test will expire in 4 days. Hence, the Sportsmen will have to repeat the test every fortnight.
- With Tournaments, teams should be quarantined for the whole season of the competition.
- Indoor sports activities, including gyms, remain closed and so are casinos, gaming centres and cinemas.
It is a green light but do not take to your heels yet as the principles that limit the extent of the uplift on sports deem it to be partial. Ground Sports managed to get an exclusive interview with Uganda Volleyball Federation (UVF) president, Hadija Namanda minutes after the national address.
“Much as the president has given a green light which we have all been anticipating even with the last talk because we’d already sent in everything that they had requested for all the SOPs. We had bought literally everything we need especially for our league games and the like. So, the dispensers, the temperature guns and everything are with us, so we were hoping that he would open,” said UVF president.
“Even with the last address but by this one me I expected he would announce something so, we can’t go straight into business until we meet National Council of Sports as a federation but I’m hopeful that Monday Tuesday Wednesday we’ll be able to have that out of the way and then we can communicate to the rest of the fraternity on what is going to be happening,” she added.
Hadija also mentioned that competitive sports will not start immediately because many aspects need to be put into consideration prior and this will all require time and therefore that matter, sports is not yet fully open but baby steps are being taken to see that volleyball and sports activities, in general, are fully back.
It has been little over six months since sports activities were closed due to the global pandemic and a lift on the ban now even with the limitations is hope that in the not so distant future, games will resume and for both the volleyball players and fans, this is one step towards the long-awaited resumption.
