The development of life skills, respect, equality, the spirit of appreciating the joy of effort, excellence, friendship, promotion of fair play, active involvement in sports among others emanates from the sheer passion for sports.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is mandated to spread the spirit of olympism through the national organizations.
To lead by example, the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) has successfully launched a country wide project of projecting the Olympic solidarity programmes through a special task force code named ‘Olympism 365’.
Olympism 365 was officially launched in Uganda on Saturday, 3rd February 2018 at the Uganda Olympic Committee offices in Lugogo, Kampala.
At least 50 schools across the country are the pilot study group from whom the entire project will spread wings across all the boundaries of the country.
Vice President of the UOC, Ambrose Tashobya officiated at the official launch.
Tashobya, who is also the President of the Federation of Uganda Basketball Association (FUBA) lauded the start of the project.
He vowed to offer Olympism 365 the full support and backing it deserves.
At Uganda Olympic Committee, we are excited about this program. We shall give it all the support we can. We hope that this program will be a complete success.
Isma Iga, the coordinator of the Olympism at the Uganda Olympic Committee hailed the initial 50 schools that accepted to be part of the project.
Iga hinted on the essence of recruiting youngsters in as far as promoting the Olympism project is concerned.
We have launched Olympism in Uganda with first attracting youngsters through the 50 schools. Such young sportsmen will be taught the value of sports for 365 days.
We have special programmes intended to help further understand Olympism through the creation of Olympic Spirit clubs in the schools.
We have undertaken first the briefing of teachers in these schools, then we shall undertake an Olympic debate at the GEMS Cambridge School on 24th February 2018.
First Ever Olympic Debate:
To further communicate home the Olympic values through the literacy initiative, an Olympic values debate championship is being planned.
This debate will take place on the 24th February 2018 at the GEMS Cambridge school in Luzira.
Students shall use the educational activity of debate to interact, share and challenge each other about the Olympic values and educational themes underlying the true practice of sport today.
The debate shall impact up to 125 young sport leaders, students belonging to over 25 Olympic partner schools.
The theme of the debate shall be “Olympism, its’ values and today”.
All the participants shall each join teams, based on educational themes of Olympism as Team Body, will and mind; Team Fair Play; Team Joy of Effort; Team Practicing Respect and Team Pursuit of Excellence.
The awarding of points shall be based on style, strategy and content with the chief adjudicator, Hillary Kururagyire.
Some of the confirmed schools include Ntare S.S, Namilyango College, St Mary’s College – Kisubi, Namagunga, Gayaza High School, Makerere College, Kabojja High School, among others.