Uganda’s three-man team is plotting for more medals at the Genocide Memorial Kung-Fu Wushu Tournament in Kigali, Rwanda, this weekend.
This year’s tournament marks 32 years after the genocide in Rwanda that killed about 700,000 people, mostly Tutsi, in 1994.
Nahia Nayiga, 14, will be competing at the annual tournament for the second time, having debuted in 2024, and will hope that this time she will reap a medal like her seniors at previous tournaments. At the 2023 Ivan Wong, Ssengendo won gold in the Sanda 76kg-82kg category, Jonathan Mugwisa (62kg-68kg) and Deo Bago (90kg) won silver medals.
His teammate Haitham Lubega, 15, will also hope for the best possible performance as both teenagers seek to qualify for the Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal, in October.
‘The Genocide Memorial event is one of those that may enhance our qualification to Dakar. So, amid all the financial constraints, we have sent a team, and we hope it performs well,’ said Uganda Wushu Federation president Eddie Gombya.
Coach Robert Kizito guided Nayiga and Lubega to the IWUF African Youth Wushu Training Camp and African Youth Championships in Ismailia, Egypt in February. He will want his trainees to showcase their newly acquired skills and stage confidence in Kigali.
THE TEAM
Nahia Nayiga
Haitham Lubega
Coach: Robert Kizito