President Yoweri Museveni Kaguta Tibuhaburwa has officially launched the celebrations of Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) at 65 years.
The official launch was conducted on Friday, July 9, 2021 at the Kololo Independence Ceremonial grounds in Kampala.
This was during the official flag-off for the Uganda Olympics team departing for Tokyo in Japan.
Flanked by the first lady who also doubles as the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni, Kaguta wished fruitful deliberations for the team athletes.
He congratulated the qualified athletes having defied all the odds to make the feat.
“I congratulate all the athletes who qualified for the Olympics. This is a great achievement because no one who wants can just go and participate. I urge you to strieve hard and win medals” Kaguta urged.
He thus launched a book, UOC at 65, ceremoniously signing on the prepared placard amidst a thunderous applause.
The Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) at 65 is a celebration of the legacy of the Olympic movement. This shows that the existence of the UOC has last for the last 65 years. We are also celebrating the heroes and heroines who have participated in the Olympic activities time immemorial.
Moses Mwase, Uganda Olympic Committee vice president (technical) & President Uganda Swimming Federation
The launch was attended by some of the athletes to the Olympics, members of the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC), National Council of Sports (NCS), the ambassador of Japan in Uganda, H.E Fukuzawa Hidemoto and the media.
The celebrations have come at an opportune time when Uganda is sending the biggest number of athletes ever (25) to the Olympic Games that were earlier scheduled to happen in 2020 but postponed because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
For starters, Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) was constituted in 1950 and recognized by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) in 1956.
UOC’s General Assembly is the legislative and highest organ which is constituted and composed as described in the relevant provisions of their statutes.
Their main headquarters are in Lugogo, Kampala city.