USSSA Ball Games II open officially with pompous ceremony

Tuesday marked the official opening ceremony of the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) Ball Games II at the hosting Dr. Obote College Boroboro grounds.

The ceremony, a pompous event, came after the organizers relaxed all the activities in the several disciplines at the games, to allow the athletes first take a drive through Lira town, in their respective school buses, from the two hosting venues Dr. Obote College Boroboro and St. Katherine Girls and back.

It was such attention pulling procession, which forced all Lira town citizens, who could not have known about the activities in Boroboro to leave their activities to stare at the endless queue of buses passing through the streets.

Business came to a standstill as the long line of the 200 school buses snaked through, led by the police band and the Lira traffic and Uganda Police all in charge.

In return, the athletes gathered at Dr. Obote's main grounds, the host of the event, where only four events of boys handball, boys volleyball, netball, and athletics were arranged for the day’s official opening.

However, only the boys’ handball was played where Dynamic beat Ntare School 27-14 and athletics 800m girls heats but netball between Kibuli and St Mary's Kitende and volleyball between Standard High Zzana and Kitagata SS could not end because of a heavy evening downpour.

The ceremony was presided over by the director of basic education, ministry of education and sports Ismail Mulindwa, who represented the permanent secretary, alongside Physical education and Sports commissioner Rev Can Duncans Mugumya, in presence of USSSA president Justus Mugisha and his executive and the entire Lira City leadership.

Inzikuru Inspiration

Former world and commonwealth games steeplechase gold medalist Docus Inzikuru has always attended the USSSA Ball games II, specifically for athletics, to keep her inspirational guidance to the young athletics and also keep her responsibility of talent identification as accorded to her by president Museveni.

“The young athletes should know that they are the next Inzikurus or Kiprotichs and keep working hard. They need to be inspired to keep looking at the future, for the winner of gold at the international level qualifies for 5m every month and the silver is 3m and the bronze is 1m. We want to see Uganda keep winning medals in international competitions,” Inzikuru said.

When athletics started, Inzikuru would not allow to keep seating with the guests in the tent but rather move around to the athletics officials' point to observe exactly how the events were unfolding.

Stanbic Bank partners with USSSA

Stanbic Bank became the first corporate company to partner with USSSA for the Ball Games II sponsorship.

While addressing the press on Friday morning, regional manager Bernard Ogwal said they are committed to facilitating activities that greatly involve Ugandans and that sports are one of them, before he announced a 25m renewable package to USSSA president Justus Mugisha.

“We appreciate that we are part of USSSA and we want to continue with our support to the education sector and today here we come in form of sports.  We hope together with the association, we shall raise many more talents and develop them for the good of sports in this country,” Ogwal said.

The USSSA ball games II has had no sponsors, unlike the ball games I that have Fresh Diary, and according to Mugisha, this will go a long way in easing the expenditure that the schools meet while sending teams for these games.

Action resumes on Wednesday with athletes competing in athletics, volleyball, rugby 7s, netball, handball, dance sport, basketball 3*3, and woodball.