Museveni to Ugandan athletes: Treat sports like a job

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has asked Uganda’s Olympic athletes to view sports as a professional career rather than mere recreation.

The President said that sports have evolved from a leisure activity to a profession where athletes can earn a living. The President made these remarks while flagging off Team Uganda for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games at State House Entebbe.

Uganda will be represented by 25 athletes at the Paris Summer Games which are scheduled from July 26 to August 11, 2024.  The teams will participate in four disciplines: athletics, swimming, cycling, and rowing.

The team, consisting of sprinters, middle-distance runners, long-distance runners, and marathoners, forms the bulk of the squad with 21 athletes. Swimming, rowing, and cycling are represented by two, one, and one athlete respectively.

The athletes will start travelling on July 23, 2024, with the cyclist, rower, and swimmers, while long-distance runners Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo, along with Peruth Chemutai, are tentatively planned to depart on July 30, 2024.

President Museveni also advised athletes to maintain discipline throughout their careers to reach their potential and achieve their goals. He warned against the use of alcohol and other drugs arguing that such habits could hinder their performance and career longevity.

Museveni told the athletes that their sports careers are brief, but that every athlete can achieve great things if they maintain a high level of discipline.

Olympic gold medalist Joshua Cheptegei has been chosen by his fellow athletes to be their captain for the games. The team aims to replicate or surpass their impressive performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, where they secured two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze, finishing 36th on the medals table, ahead of countries like India, South Africa, and Nigeria.

In April this year, World Athletics (WA) announced that they would award prize money to Olympic gold medalists starting at the Paris 2024 Games, making them the first international sports governing body to do so.

According to their April statement, any athlete who wins gold in each of the 48 track and field events in Paris will receive USD 50,000. Relay teams will receive the same amount to share amongst the athletes.

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