Written By | Alex Mbamanya
Busia District collected 6 trophies after dominating the SNE category
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MUBENDE
The Uganda Primary School Sports Association (UPSSA) has taken deliberate steps to increase the involvement and participation of children with special needs in sports across the country.
Over the years, the Special Needs Education (SNE) sports category has attracted fewer participants and teams, a situation UPSSA President William Bwambale attributes to neglect by special needs officers employed by the government at local government level.
During this year's UPSSA National Ball Games in Mubende, UPSSA went a step further by training officers through a capacity-building programme aimed at equipping them with knowledge and skills in organising SNE competitions and handling children with special needs at the grassroots level.
Speaking as the chief guest at the closing and awards ceremony for the SNE competitions in Mubende, Assistant Commissioner for Physical Education and Sports at the Ministry of Education and Sports, Sam Odong, said the government would deliberately recruit sports officers responsible for special needs at every district to ensure that all children with special needs have an opportunity to participate in sports.
Gilbert Orikiriza, an Education Officer in the Physical Education and Sports Department, affirmed that SNE competitions at the National Ball Games would have dedicated budgeting and programming.
At the awards ceremony, Busia District emerged overall winners after collecting six trophies. The district won sitting volleyball for both boys and girls in the U12 and U14 age categories, in addition to winning Boccia for girls U12 and boys U14.
Madi-Okollo came second with three trophies, winning Boccia girls U14 and hearing-impaired football for boys U12 and U14.
Mityana, Munono Municipality, Koboko, Mukono District, Arua and Namayingo also won trophies and were awarded medals.
Meanwhile, Buvuma beat Kyotera 26-19 to win the U12 netball trophy, while Amuria defeated hosts Mubende 15-13 to win the girls' U14 handball title.
Jinja City beat Serere 3-0 to win the boys' U12 volleyball crown, while Ngora defeated Kira Municipality 3-0 to win the boys' U14 volleyball title. Mbarara District beat Kumi 3-0 to claim the bronze medal.
The games, which started last Tuesday, will climax tomorrow with the boys' football finals, followed by the official awards and closing ceremony.
