The 11th edition of the Uganda Aquatics National Swimming Championships, taking place from July 2-5 at Kampala International School Uganda (KISU), will mark more than just the country’s top domestic swimming competition. It will also usher in a technological milestone as Uganda Aquatics introduces, for the first time in its history, internationally recognised electronic timing technology designed to transform how swimming competitions are conducted in the country.
The federation has confirmed that the championships will debut electronic touch pads alongside a live digital results platform, bringing Uganda’s national competition closer to the standards used at the Olympic Games and World Aquatics Championships.
For Uganda Aquatics General Secretary, Max Kanyerezi, the introduction of the new systems reflects the federation’s determination to ensure local competitions match international expectations.
“We do expect quite new technology. I sit on the technical committee of World Aquatics as the African representative, and we always train technical officials worldwide on the techniques that international aquatics requires. Even here at home, we make sure our technical officials are up to speed with what the regulations of World Aquatics require us to have.”
That commitment to international standards has culminated in one of the federation’s biggest technical investments yet.
“It’s the first time in history that Uganda now acquires these touch pads, and we’ve looked at it as a way to boost the athletes’ performance because they always say, ‘we are going to Kenya because there are touch pads, we are going here because there are touch pads’. This time Uganda also has touch pads, and that is something that is really going to be amazing.”
The electronic touch pads represent a significant leap from traditional manual timing methods. Installed at both ends of every competition lane, the pressure-sensitive panels instantly record a swimmer’s finishing time the moment they touch the wall, sending the result directly into the central timing system without the delays or inconsistencies associated with manual stopwatch timing.
Unlike conventional timing methods that rely heavily on human reflexes, the electronic system measures performances to fractions of a second, eliminating human error and ensuring every finish is captured with exceptional precision.
The technology also integrates directly with the competition’s digital scoreboard, allowing race times, split times and official results to appear almost instantly for athletes, coaches, officials and spectators.
During relay events, the system provides another layer of accuracy by working together with sensors on the starting blocks to determine whether outgoing swimmers leave the block only after their teammates have completed the touch, ensuring relay exchanges comply with competition rules.
The touch pads themselves are designed to avoid accidental readings. Rather than reacting to waves or splashes, they register only when a swimmer applies firm, localised pressure against the panel. Inside the units, durable electronic membrane switches instantly complete an electrical circuit, transmitting the official finishing time to the timing console within milliseconds.
While the technology delivers the official result, Uganda Aquatics will still retain manual timers as a safeguard, in line with international practice.
“The touch pads are placed at the finish and on the side of the pool to ensure that athletes touch and the times go automatically into the system. You’ll also see people with timers and push buttons; those are just backup times. At least now there won’t be any issues of ‘Was that the time?’ or ‘Was it provisional?'”
Kanyerezi noted that even elite competitions around the world maintain manual backups in the unlikely event of equipment malfunction.
“It happens even in World Aquatics, even at the World Championships and the Olympic Games, where you can have a malfunction, but those are things we can handle. At the moment, yes, we do have touch pads and they’re going to be used throughout the championships.”
Uganda Aquatics is also introducing a live digital results platform that will make race information immediately available on mobile devices. Instead of waiting for printed result sheets, journalists, coaches, parents and fans will be able to follow every race in real time.
“We’re also introducing a new system that will be able to share a link, including with the media. You will be able to see live results straight on your phone. This will help you get results without asking us again because we used to print them, but now you can just access them on your phone and watch the times go live.”
Every official result will become available the moment a swimmer touches the electronic pad.
“Immediately the athletes touch, the results go straight onto your phone, and you can see them straight away. We’re going to get all that technology sorted out.”
The new technology also serves as an important rehearsal for an even bigger assignment later this year. Uganda will host the Zone III Swimming Championships at the same venue (KISU), making this week’s national championships an ideal opportunity to test both the equipment and the technical teams under competition conditions.