IOC President Thomas Bach in Uganda for official visit

ENTEBBE, Uganda | Xinhua | The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach arrived in Uganda on Tuesday for an official two-day visit.

“I am very happy to finally be in Uganda. Uganda continues to produce champions, and it’s good to be here,” said Bach when speaking to the press at the Entebbe International Airport.

Bach was received by Uganda’s State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang, President of the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) Donald Rukare and Paris Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei among others.

Bach also talked about countries having access to good facilities that helps athletes prepare better ahead of big competitions like the Olympics. Speaking about Uganda, he said the country is also advantaged to have good mountainous areas where top athletes like Cheptegei have continued to train and win medals.

“Not all countries have the advantage Uganda has. And some countries have different advantages on where athletes train,” he added.

He made it clear that the IOC is trying to bridge the gap for all members with the Olympic Solidarity Programme which has increased to 650 million U.S. dollars in terms of support. “Uganda Olympic Committee is very smart in using the Olympic Solidarity Programme for the benefit of the athletes,” added Bach.

William Frederick Blick, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from Uganda told Xinhua that it is great to have Bach come for a two-day visit to Uganda. “This visit is long overdue, but we are glad that it has finally happened, and it comes with a lot of positives,” added Blick.

Cheptegei, fresh from winning the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon last weekend, said it was an honor to be part of the team receiving the IOC president. “As a country, we are very happy to see Bach come to Uganda to also discover some of the challenges we have here,” added Cheptegei.

Bach’s visit to Uganda comes as part of his broader tour of African countries, which includes Senegal, South Africa, Lesotho, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Once a foil fencer, Bach is the first ever Olympic gold medalist to be elected to the position of IOC. ■