With just weeks to the State of Ugandan Sport Symposium, Liberty Twesiime, President of the Uganda Lacrosse Association (ULA), has called for a more collaborative and merit-based approach to sports development in the country.
Speaking ahead of the symposium set for 17th and 18th of next month at Next Media Park, Twesiime stressed the importance of genuine engagement between the government and sports federations.
He said that meaningful transformation in the sector can only be achieved when decision-makers actively listen to the technical voices managing the various sports disciplines.
“Stakeholders in sports must be able to work together. The government must keenly listen to federations before making decisions on sports,” Twesiime stated.
The ULA president also called for a review of the national sports funding structure, arguing that current allocations often favor popular disciplines rather than those with real potential to elevate Uganda’s presence on the global stage.
“Funding shouldn’t only focus on popular sports but on sports that have the biggest chance of making Uganda present at international level,” he said.
Twesiime added that Uganda’s sports potential is vast but remains underutilized due to inconsistent support and uneven resource distribution.
He believes a more performance-based model could unlock success across multiple codes, especially emerging sports like lacrosse which have already registered Uganda’s presence at the World Lacrosse Championship.
His comments come as momentum builds ahead of the NBS Sport Symposium, which will bring together sports stakeholders to examine current challenges and explore strategies for redefining the future of sport in Uganda.
