NCS to meet sports federations

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Council of Sports-NCS is scheduled to meet different sports federations to discuss how to resume sports activities in compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures-SOPs issued by the Health Ministry to stop the spread of Covid-19.

It comes after President Yoweri Museveni okayed the resumption of outdoor sporting activities under strict observance of the SOPs.  In his televised address on Sunday, Museveni said sports can resume provided the organisers comply with the SOPs, test players and officials every after two weeks and quarantine players in case of any tournament.

However, some sports administrators have expressed reservations on their ability to implement the SOPs because of the costs involved. This has drawn the attention of National Council of Sports which has decided to call different sports federations to find solutions and prepare for the return of sports in a safe manner.

Titus Kayigwa, NCS Deputy secretary general says they intend to meet the federations to discuss ways of resuming sports in a safe manner. “Following the president’s pronouncement on Sunday, we are making preparations to meet sports federations to discuss a way forward. We will lineup a meeting most likely on September 25th to engage sports federations and different stakeholders,” Kayigwa told URN.

He also disclosed that NCS engaged the Education and Sports Ministry prior to the president’s pronouncement on sports. “There have been so many engagements that we have had with the Ministry of Education and Sports even with the sports federations. The meetings that we had were for developing the protocols that will guide the resumption of sports,” he said.

Kayigwa also said NCS will continue engaging government to help out in testing of players. “We will continue engaging the government and see what the government can do especially on the aspect of the national team that will be the beginning point of NCS,” Kayigwa said.

Sports is expected to resume soon following the president’s conclusion of okaying the resumption of outdoor sports, however, it will be a matter of who can actually afford to comply with the standard operating procedures.

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