By Leilah Bbaale
The President of Uganda, H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has on Monday has assented to the National Sports Bill 2023 into law.
The new Sports law seeks to revolutionalize the sports sector from amateur to professional.
It was initially tabled for first reading on November 10, 2022 and passed by the House on March 2, 2023. However, the President returned the Bill to consider three key amendments.
These included the composition of the National Council of Sports Board, dismissal of kick boxing and consideration of archery as a sport and naming of the sports facilities under the control of NCS.
The President advised that the National Council of Sports should have a board consisting of a chairperson and six members, representing various stakeholders in the sports sector.
The members of the NCS board shall include representatives from sports federations, athletes, private sector, People with Disabilities (PwDs), a knowledgeable individual about sports administration and two representatives from the traditional regions of Uganda.
The Minister for Sports will appoint the NCS board members and ensure that the board represents interests from sports federations, government, private sectors, PWDs and gender.
About Archery, the President reminded Parliament to include the sport, considering it is played at Olympics. Kick boxing was left out because of administrative wrangles but NCS has the authority to reconsider them once the internal issues are solved.
Finally about sports facilities being under NCS, the intention was to have full control over such infrastructure so that they are not grabbed or given away for any other usage.
Hon. Moses Magogo, the Member of Parliament for Budiope East Constituency and also FUFA President presented the Bill as a private member but Government also came in later to make a joint bill.
According to Magogo, the law will help cover several key pressing issues such as infrastructure, funding, policies, doping, Sports merchandise etc.
