The Uganda National Boxing Team, the Bombers have an opportunity to fit in well into the Olympic Games as they will travel to Tokyo, Japan and have a training camp there for at least three weeks.

The Bombers will next week leave for the Tokyo games that are slated to kick-off on Wednesday. 21st. July. 2021.

The boxing team that comprises of three players Shadir Musa Bwogi (welterweight), David Ssemujju (middleweight) and Catherine Nanziri (flyweight) has a very big task ahead of them since they have to keep Uganda’s sporting legacy at the Olympics alive.

The news for this training camp in the host country was revealed by Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) President Moses Muhangi at a farewell event hosted for the team.

At the event, besides the good news for a training camp in Japan, the UBF President also promised to reward the team for good performance; i.e. a cash price of Ug. Shs. 5 million for a Gold medal, Ug. Shs. 3 million for a Silver medal, Ug. Shs. 2 million for a Bronze medal and Ug. Shs. 1 million for a win in the first bout.

Uganda has won seven medals at the Olympics with four coming from boxing and it’s this heritage that the team will be looking at backing on starting with the final three weeks of preparations.

“We have had good preparations and the offer for training in Japan ahead of the games gives us more motivation,” said Shadir Musa Bwogi, the Bombers Captain.

The Bombers will be handled by Coaches Muhammad Mulandi and Patrick Lihanda; and Twaib Mayanja as Team Manager.

Lihanda, , a former Olympian himself believes that the team is in good position to perform well at the games and having the time to train in Tokyo ahead of the games will be a very big factor to help them return with glory.

“It was the weakness of previous federation leaders that Ugandan boxers have been performing poorly at International events because of poorly managed preparation but this time it has been different and we expect the results to affirm this,” Lihanda said.

The Bombers’ training and preparations for the games has received monetary boasts from ABBSA Bank and KCCA.

Uganda’s last Olympic medal in the boxing category was in the Moscow Games in Russia through John Mugabi a.k.a The Beast who won a Silver medal in the Welterweight division in 1980.

The last Bombers’ good performance at the Olympics was at the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece when Sam Rukundo went up to the quarter finals in the Lightweight category.

By Joseph Mary Ssempiira www.sportznow.ug writer.