Uganda Cycling Association seeks funding for World Championships

The Uganda Cycling Association (UCA) is hoping they can secure funds to send a 16-man team to the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) 2021 World Championships in Flanders, Belgium, September 15-26.

The association is currently grappling with a lack of resources to facilitate the team to the event that will also be part of the 100-year anniversary of the Road World Championships.

Already, the UCA has failed to send a team of six cyclists to another UCI African championship in Egypt, only managing to send two, thereby disadvantaging the team points that Uganda would correct at the event (September 1-5).

Only John Odoto and Mary Aleper made it to Cairo with UCA president Sam Muwonge, leaving the other team members; Bosco Lukedo, Arnold Kaala, Enock Ssemambo and Florence Nakagwa in Kampala.

“We couldn’t afford to send the full team as it qualified and other technical team members because of lack of funds. So we shall miss many events where we had qualified cyclists to participate because of numbers we shall only appear in individual time trial races,” Pastor Semambo a UCA official, said.

According to Semambo UCA requires sh101m to send the team to Belgium for the ten-day championship. Four of the Ugandan senior riders have been training for the championship from different locations in Kenya and Europe.

They include Charles Kagimu (Germany), Jordan Ssekanwagi (Netherlands), Abdul Noor Lubega and Paul Lomoria (Kenya), Willy Kato, and Samuel Sabagwanya in Uganda.

The juniors are Enock Semambo, Shafic Mugaru, John Odoto, Bosco Lukeedo, Arnold Kaala and Richard Bukenya , Mary Aleper, Florence Nakaggwa, Sarah Nanyanzi and Joan Naluyange.

If they make it to Belgium the team will compete in the Men Elite Individual Time Trial, Men U-23, Women Junior, Men Junior, Team Trials, and in the Road Races in the different categories.