The 14th Inter-forces games and championship which attracted participants from Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), Uganda Police Force(UPF), Uganda Prisons Services(UPS) and Uganda Wild Life Authority(UWA) have come to an end with a final football match between UPDF and UPF at Mandela National Stadium Nambole on Monday.
The State Minister for Education and Sports,Hon Charles Bakabulindi,who was the Chief Guest presided over the closing ceremony that included various games in Football, Athletics, Range shooting, Volley ball, Netball, Taekwondo, Boxing and Darts.
The games were also played at Land Forces headquarters-Bombo, Kigo Range shooting grounds and Mandela National Stadium-Nambole.
Hon Bakabulindi thanked all the teams for participating and making the games possible. “Sports not only improves on an individual’s physical and mental capability but also builds discipline amongst the participating armed forces” he said.
The Minister commended the Armed Forces for their exemplary discipline and asked the media to report objectively about the activity. Hon Bakabulindi encouraged the forces to maintain their spirit of cooperation both at work and in other activities like inter forces games.
He further said that a disciplined united force can never be defeated by the enemy. He noted that its no longer news to Ugandans that individual participants from UPDF, UPF, UPS, UWA have won medals at the world Olympics, commonwealth games and many other international sports events as they represented their country.
He asked next year’s hosts to even prepare better because there are always lessons to learn from each other.
Representing the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), the Joint Chief Of staff Maj Gen Joseph Musanyufu said all participants are winners since all forces have always jointly participated in security operations with a high level of discipline. He emphasized the fact that sports build individual physical fitness and personal discipline. He urged participating armed forces to sign an MOU for sports activities. “Appreciating the level of competiveness, healthy participation and discipline by all armed forces and individual participants is our aim” he emphasised. The CDF Gen Muhoozi gave a bull to each participating force and an unspecified amount of money to the best individual performer in each sports discipline.
The UPDF Chief of Education Sports and culture(COSEC) Brig Phinehas Kaitirima in his remarks noted that the event was very competitive, had achieved its objectives and was well attended by all participants from all armed forces and wanaichi. “The strategic objective of the event was to promote harmony and synergy of the armed forces, for successful joint operations including enhancing discipline and effectiveness of the armed forces” he said.
He further thanked the leadership of the armed forces for ensuring the event takes place every year and for deciding to formalize it in the near future. He thanked the event participants for the harmony, discipline and competitive spirit exhibited during the ten days competition and requested deliberate improvement of sports facilities in the armed forces.
The 14th Interforces games and championships has lasted for ten(10) days, from 17th September to 24th September 2018 , after the grand opening on 16th September 2018 in Bombo
The games were played on a round robin format where all the four participating teams(UPDF, UPF,UPS, UWA) had to face each other in all disciplines
Uganda Prisons Services emerged overall winner with six(6) gold medals, two(6) silver medals, one(1) bronze medal, UPF second with two(2) gold medals, five(5) silver medal, one(1) bronze medal, UPDF third place with one(1) silver medal, six(6) bronze medals and UWA forth with one(1) gold medal.
Winning teams and participants from every sports discipline were awarded with trophies and medals. and or
Inter forces games and championships are annual fraternal sporting activities with a strategic sporting objective of continuously, deliberately, and consciously enhancing joint national operations for sustainable national security and socio economic development and transformation.
Next year the games will be hosted by Uganda Prison Service(UPS). The Hon Minister of State for education and sports handed over the Uganda flag from 2018 14th inter forces games and championship hosts(UPDF) to next year’s host Uganda Prisons Service(UPS)
Present at the closing ceremony was the Deputy IGP Brig Sabiiti Muzeyi, Deputy Commander Land Forces Maj Gen Kavuma, the Joint Chief of Staff (JCOS) Maj Gen Joseph Musanyufu, the Chief of Staff Air Forces Brig James Birungi, Commissioner General of Representative of the UPS commissioner General and Executive Director UWA Mr. Samuel Mwandah, among others.
