The 23rd edition of the Akii Bua Memorial Invitational Track and Field Meet was officially launched on May 20, 2025, at the Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) headquarters in Kampala.
Slated for June 7 at Namboole Stadium, the 2025 edition marks a milestone with the event attaining international status and unveiling a prize pool of $50,000 for invitational races.
Held under the theme “Celebrating and Sustaining Athletic Excellence,” this year’s meet promises a vibrant blend of elite competition and community engagement.
The program will open with a 10km mass fan race in the morning, encouraging participation from the general public, including students.
The first 500 finishers will receive commemorative medals, recognizing their role in celebrating Uganda’s athletics legacy.
Throughout the day, activities such as Kids Athletics, co-operate relay races, and tree-planting exercises will aim to foster community involvement and promote environmental stewardship. The event will then transition into the elite competition segment in the afternoon.
Ten international races, six for men and four for women, will headline the competitive program.
Each race carries a $5,000 purse to be shared among the top eight finishers, underscoring the meet’s upgraded status and its appeal to world-class talent from across Africa and beyond.
Complementing the international events, seven national-level competitions will be contested, with the top eight Ugandan athletes in each category set to share a total of UGX 1.5 million per event.
The Akii Bua Memorial Meet is named in honor of John Akii Bua, Uganda’s first Olympic gold medalist, and continues to serve as a tribute to his legacy while nurturing the next generation of athletic talent.
As preparations enter the final stretch, the UAF has urged fans, athletes, and families to turn out in large numbers and participate in what is poised to be the most exciting edition of the event to date.
