Team Uganda’s campaign at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games is entering its final stretch, with swimming bringing its competition to a close on Friday as attention shifts to cycling and athletics, whose competitions are scheduled to begin on Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, respectively.
The conclusion of swimming marks another milestone in Uganda’s participation at the Games, with athletes in rowing, swimming, table tennis, rugby and badminton having now completed their respective campaigns. The focus is increasingly turning to the remaining disciplines as Uganda seeks to make its mark at the first Youth Olympic Games hosted on African soil.
Uganda’s swimmers signed off on the final day of competition at the Dakar Aquatic Centre, with Mark Arthur Mwase the last Ugandan to take to the pool, competing in the boys’ 200m freestyle.
Mwase produced a determined performance to finish second in Heat One in 2:05.39, behind Belgium’s Alexander van Hoey Billiet, who won in 1:55.46. The Ugandan maintained second position throughout the race, recording splits of 28.20 at 50m, 59.80 at 100m and 1:31.80 at 150m.
His start was particularly impressive, registering a reaction time of 0.56 seconds, the fastest in his heat. He also finished ahead of three African competitors: Libya’s Yousef Elwalid (2:06.63), Rwanda’s Sheja Murenzi (2:12.37) and Tanzania’s Zack Okumu (2:12.52).
Although his time was not among the eight fastest required to advance to the final, Mwase provided Uganda with a competitive finish to its swimming campaign.
The performance brought the curtain down on Uganda’s swimming programme, which Coach Ezra Kalali described as a worthwhile learning experience for the young swimmers, despite the challenges encountered during the competition.
Kalali noted that the team had enjoyed the experience and that the swimmers had given their best, with personal-best performances among the positive takeaways from the meet.
However, he believes the competition exposed important areas that need attention if Ugandan swimmers are to become more competitive internationally. He particularly pointed to the speed of turns, stroke mechanics, power, strength and conditioning, as well as pre-race preparation routines.
He also highlighted the demanding conditions in Dakar, including high temperatures and the long daily commute between the Olympic Village and the competition venue, which required approximately four hours of travelling each day.
For Mwase, the final race was also an opportunity to demonstrate the progress made during the competition. Kalali was particularly encouraged by his reaction time and the improvements he had made in his starts and turns.
With swimming now concluded, Uganda’s attention shifts to the athletics and cycling contingent, which arrived in Dakar on November 5 and is preparing to begin competition on November 7 and 8, respectively.
The five athletics athletes will be led by a mixture of middle-distance and steeplechase talent, with Timothy Cheptoek entered in the men’s 800m, Michael Kibet in the men’s 2000m steeplechase and Rachael Chelimo in the women’s 2000m steeplechase.
Keren Chelimo will compete in the women’s 3000m, while Baskaline Cherotwo is entered in the women’s 1500m.
The athletics team represents one of Uganda’s remaining opportunities to compete for honours as the Games approach their closing stages.
Cycling will also get underway on November 7, with Ali Ssali representing Uganda in the men’s road race and individual time trial under coach Ishaka Bukenya.
Uganda’s participation in the other disciplines has already provided valuable international exposure. In table tennis, Jemimah Nakawala registered a 3-0 victory over Ghana’s Joanita Borteye, winning 11-6, 11-8 and 11-6, while also gaining experience against opponents from Poland and India.
Joseph Sebatindira, Uganda’s other representative, competed against players from Poland, Venezuela and Romania. Although he lost his singles matches 3-1, he managed to take a game off each opponent, demonstrating competitiveness against some of the tournament’s established young players. The pair also featured in mixed doubles.
Uganda has similarly completed its campaigns in rowing, rugby and badminton, bringing the number of concluded sporting disciplines to five.
As the athletics and cycling competitions approach, Team Uganda will be looking to finish its Dakar adventure strongly. Beyond the immediate results, the experience offers the young athletes an important opportunity to measure themselves against international competition, identify areas for improvement and gain exposure that can shape their future sporting careers.