Minister Ogwang to inspect Teryet training centre this Saturday

Sports state minister Peter Ogwang is expected to inspect Teryet National High Performance Training Centre in Kapchorwa district this Saturday.

“The Saturday inspection will determine when Teryet will be launched," Charles Achoda, the minister's media officer, told New Vision on Friday.

"The minister will brief the First Lady [Minister of Education and Spots] on the findings."

When a date has been agreed on, President Yoweri Museveni and his wife, Janet, are expected to preside over the unveiling of the multibillion-shilling sports facility located in Uganda's east.

“The ministry and the entire government are cognizant of the value Teryet will contribute to the development of our sports, particularly athletes, hence the need to ensure it is operational as soon as possible," said Achoda.

 While in Kapchorwa this weekend, Ogwang will be accompanied by a select team from the National Council of Sports (NCS) led by general secretary Dr. Bernard Ogwel and other officials from the line ministries.

'We need a standard facility'

Ogwang first inspected Teryet as sports minister last year in early September.

During that visit, he toured the 3.4 kilometres of the arena and from his observations, the minister issues directives concerning standardization of the centre.

For example, he directed the contractor to include two more lanes to the track that previously had four "so that our athletes get used to the standard number of lanes".

"The athlete hostels were complete but the staircase leading to the first floor was substandard and I instructed for proper adjustments,” Ogwang said shortly after his previous visit.

“We need a standard training facility because Teryet is an international brand which has already started attracting a big number of international athletes, who want to train from here. That is without mentioning sports tourists.”

In January last year, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja also visited the training facility, saying that it would lead to “an explosion of talent development" in Uganda.

She toured part of the centre and planted trees around the area.

Denis Hamson Obua, Ogwang's predecessor, regularly visited Teryet to monitor the construction progress. High-ranking officials from the line ministries and from State House have previously travelled to Kapchorwa for supervision.

The training centre idea was inspired by great performances by Ugandan athletes on the international scene, which impressed President Yoweri Museveni and the nation at large.

Wins by the likes of Moses Kipsiro, Dorcus Inzikuru and Stephen Kiprotich particularly impressed the head-of-state, who then directed the construction of the facility in 2012 to ease the athletes' training and nurture more talent.

But the state-financed project works only got underway in 2017. It was projected to last three years, with Chinese construction company COMPLANT in charge of the sh25b project.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the works.

'Teryet will be ready this year'

Minister Ogwang is optimistic the project will be completed and handed over to the government this year: 2023.

“We expected it to be ready for use by last month (December) but a few delays dragged it into 2023," he said.

"The good news is we are almost there and our athletes will officially start using Teryet National High Altitude Training Centre."

In a bid to fuse education and sports, the athletics training facility also features both a primary and secondary school, costing over sh2.5b.

Besides athletics, Teryet, which sits on a 2,575-metre elevation, will also host training for football, basketball, volleyball, golf and other disciplines.

According to the sports ministry, once Phase One is commissioned, Phase Two which includes the construction of a five-star hotel, swimming pool and a pavilion, will get underway.