1st-14th October 2013:
African Rowing Championships
At Tunis, Tunisia
As Team Uganda’s preparations for the African Rowing Championships continue, the rowers are fixed between a hard place and a rock.
“We do two sessions a day, morning and evening, each of 3 hours, but we have to look for our own breakfast, lunch, and supper”, the rowers narrate their ordeal to Kawowo Sports.
The team of 4 led by Coach Rodrick Muhumuza, and the rowers, Douglas Kisarale and Alfred Okello, who will also participate in the light weight double scull event and Gerald Ssemambo (single Scull) is currently undergoing non-residential training at the Luzira based Miami beach ahead of the championships where the continent’s finest rowers are expected to take part.
From the time (8:30 am) that Kawowo Sports spared to catch the national team train up to mid-day, no single rower had eaten or drank anything.
“The exercises for stamina, speed, endurance and power consume a lot of energy, but we have nothing to do because we are preparing for a big continental event that will market us”, says Douglas Kisarale.
When Contacted, Hamuza Kahwa, the Uganda Rowing President, side stepped the preparations referring the reporter to Muhumza, the coach. ” Ask Muhumuza, because he deals with all the technical stuff”, Hamza said.
The team is set to depart for the two week’s Tunisian event next week but something urgent about the rowers’ welfare ought to be done if positive performance of Uganda is to be expected.
Over 30 African nations including South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia among others are expected.
