The global sports calendar has taken a big hit from the global pandemic of the coronavirus break.
And the sports world developed colder feet after hosts Japan succumbed to pressure to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Olympic Games were due to take place from July 24 - August 9 but Japan’s minister Shinzo Abe announced this week that they will take place in 2021.
Even though the Games will take place a year later, Uganda’s athletes will have to wait for their moment at the pinnacle of world sport.
“It is a pity but there is nothing to do for now,” said Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) president William Blick.
“We just have to do be positive and hope that the virus is contained internationally,” he added.
Uganda has 20 athletes who had qualified for the Olympic Games in athletics, rowing and boxing.
Grace Kathleen, based in USA, will now have to wait for her historic debut as Uganda’s first rower at the Games. She qualified last year over the 2km in the Single Scull category.
Early this month, national boxing team Bombers’ captain Musa Shadir had too earned his ticket via the welterweight category in Senegal’s Dakar but he too waits.
A bunch of 18 runners had qualified for the Games including seven male marathoners even though Uganda has three quota places for this event.
“We had secured some places in Tokyo and we were planning to have our team in for acclimatization before the Games. We were 80-90 percent with our preparations,” Blick narrated.
While the wait goes on, Blick says the onus is on the athletes. “Most of it is left to the individual athletes to keep fit, in the right frame of mind of which all those are individual things,” he added.
Uganda has won seven medals in Olympic history with two titles by John Akii-Bua over the 400m hurdles at the 1972 Munich Games and Stephen Kiprotich’s marathon heroics at London 2012.
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UGANDAN ATHLETES QUALIFIED FOR TOKYO - SO FAR
ATHLETICS
WOMEN: Halima Nakaayi (800m), Winnie Nanyondo (800m & 1500m), Peruth Chemutai (3000m steeplechase), Stella Chesang & Sarah Chelangat (5000m), Juliet Chekwel (Marathon)
MEN: Ronald Musagala (1500m), Albert Chemutai (3000m Steeplechase), Stephen Kissa (5000m), Joshua Cheptegei & Abdallah Mande (10000m), *Fred Musobo, *Stephen Kiprotich, *Solomon Mutai, *Filex Chemonges, *Geoffrey Kusuro, *Jackson Kiprop & *Robert Chemonges (all Marathon)
*Only 3 can be allowed to compete
BOXING
Welterweight: Shadir Musa Bwogi
ROWING
Single Scull Category (2km): Grace Noble Kathleen
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This writer is a global broadcaster and as well scribe with Daily Monitor Newspaper and sports presenter with Radio One FM 90 in Kampala. Follow him on Twitter: @AllanDarren and his Facebook Page: Darren Allan Kyeyune