Uganda’s U16 national basketball teams; the Junior Silverbacks (boys) and Junior Gazelles (girls), will take to the court today, Thursday, at the FIBA Africa Zone V U16 Preliminaries.
This is after the teams received urgent accommodation hours before tipoff, following a night of shocking neglect in Dar es Salaam.
The teams had been left stranded without food or sleeping arrangements upon their arrival in Tanzania late Wednesday night, only receiving help after the intervention of FIBA Africa on Thursday afternoon.
“They are getting us rooms finally after FIBA Africa intervention,” confirmed Hudson Segamwenge, Vice President of the Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (FUBA) and Head of Delegation.
The relief came after nearly 14 hours of distress. The Ugandan delegation landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi at 10 PM on Wednesday.
They transported approximately 33 kilometers to the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School in Dar es Salaam, the location FIBA had designated as the official games village.
However, on arrival shortly after midnight, the teams found no prepared rooms, no meals, and no assistance from either the Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) or local FIBA Zone V officials.
With no beds or basic amenities, players and staff were forced to spend the night in the facility’s lobby.
Segamwenge, speaking earlier on Sport This Morning via Zoom from the scene, described the ordeal as unacceptable.
“We haven’t slept since last night. We haven’t even taken showers. Everyone stopped responding to us by 3 AM, including the FIBA Zone V President who is staying in the same venue but ignored our calls,” he revealed.
Despite their discomfort, the only formal communication received from the organisers during the night was a reminder that the teams were expected to play their opening matches on Thursday.
Originally, the Junior Gazelles were set to face Kenya at 4:15 PM, with the Junior Silverbacks scheduled against Kenya at 6:15 PM.
Due to the delay and eventual intervention, both fixtures were rescheduled. The girls will now play at 4:30 PM and the boys at 6:30 PM local time.
The teams had earlier been flagged off in Kampala on Wednesday morning at a ceremony held at the National Council of Sports (NCS) headquarters in Lugogo, with NCS Vice General Secretary Chelengat Sarah presiding.
Head coach Andrew Tendo leads the Junior Silverbacks, while John Omondi is in charge of the Junior Gazelles for the regional tournament, which serves as a qualifier for the 2025 FIBA Africa U16 Championships.
While the late resolution means Uganda will now compete as scheduled, the ordeal has cast a shadow over the tournament’s organisation and raised questions about the treatment of young athletes in international competitions.
Segamwenge’s stern warning that the teams would withdraw if the situation wasn’t resolved likely prompted the urgent action from FIBA Africa.
