Boxing: NCS Kept Silent About Our Financial Request, We Shall Not Defend Bingwa Wa Mabingwa Championship- Muhangi

Uganda pulled out of the forthcoming Bingwa Wa Mabingwa boxing championship to be held in Tanzania in December, Boxing federation president confirmed.

Uganda are the defending Champions, won over eight medals in 2018, but due to financial constraints facing the federation in this COVID era, they decided to pull out of the championship that is two weeks away from the commence of the tournament.

While addressing media at Kati Kati Restaurant, Lugogo on Wednesday 18th November 2020, Uganda Boxing Federation President, Moses Muhangi cited out that government through National Council of Sports paid a deaf ear to their financial request and other basic requirements as far as the sport is concerned.

“On 21St October 2020, we wrote to NCS requesting for the gym access to start preparing for the tournament, and funds that will help us to go to Tanzania and defend our title but until now, we haven’t received and official communication from them.” Moses Muhangi laments.

According to Muhangi, the two weeks remaining for the tournament to commence, they don’t have time to prepare evenif they receive funds now, so basing on that frustration, the federation decided to pull out of the tournament that that starts on 05th December 2020.

“So today we called you to inform the public that this year Uganda will not participate in Bingwa Wa Mabingwa.

We going to lose our crown as the defending Champions.” Muhangi.

Again we want to remind the government through NCS that sports is all about preparations. Not only about money but time and preparations are also very crucial.”

Muhangi is also wondering whether boxing is a priority sport like it is in other disciplines.

“As boxing we last received money from government in March and it was 13 million shillings, sometimes I wonder, is Boxing a priority sport as it is in books?, what differentiate us from Kabaddi sport, or Swimming?.

Football is a priority sport because when they needed money for Dubai trip, they got it in time, when Athletics wanted to transport their athletes, the government got them a plane. So we remind the government also to value boxing.”

According to Muhangi, the bombers needed 460 million shillings to participate in Bingwa Wa Mabingwa.

This is the first time Uganda is failing to participate in this tournament since Moses Muhangi took office in 2017.