BOXING UBF, UOC on collision course over Bombers Olympics qualifier squad

With the 2024 Paris Olympics looming, a dispute over the Bombers’ list for the upcoming qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal has intensified the standoff.

Tensions between the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) and the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) have reached fever pitch.

With the 2024 Paris Olympics looming, a dispute over the Bombers’ list for the upcoming qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal has intensified the standoff.

Central to the bone of contention are two prominent figures in the Ugandan boxing arena, Shadir Musa Bwogi and David Ssemujju.

Both had ventured into professional boxing after a stint at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a subsequent fallout with the UBF over "unfair" Boxing Champions League contracts.

However, eyebrows were raised when UOC announced their return to the National team, despite them not featuring in UBF’s initial list.

UOC had intimated that the two were included on the list after UBF failed to submit the required travel documents for preferred boxers on their entry list.

However, the boxing federation in their response quashed the narrative, terming it ‘false because they did’.

“This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 21 August 2023, as well as respond regarding the above subject matter and the boxing pathway to the Paris Olympic games,” the letter stated.

“Reference is made to paragraph two of your letter which states that... most of the athletes’ passports biodata pages and passport size pictures were not availed and or missing…”

Challenging the UOC's narrative, the UBF firmly countered, “The above narrative is not true because we submitted all the required information in other letters to UOC in regards to the team long lists.”

“To further prove that we did submit all the required information for all the team members on time, some members whose details we had never submitted at UOC prior, have already been registered.”

“There is no other way they could have been registered unless you had received their information from UBF.”

“It is therefore false to state that UBF did not submit the required information on time because we did,” UBF explained.

UBF had reportedly submitted their list of preferred athletes to the UOC, a list which, sources indicate, did not feature either Ssemujju or Bwogi.

Following the release of UOC's list, the UBF reportedly sought funding from the UOC to organize elimination bouts to assess the fitness and potential of the two aforementioned boxers.Another point of contention is Ssemujju's weight class. Ssemujju, listed as Tukamuhebwa Joshua’s reserve, last fought in his assigned weight class four years ago.

The switch would require him to lose 12 kgs in a short span, raising questions about his effectiveness in the ring.

But weight classes aren't the only concern. Anomalies such as the listing of Kyobe Jonah over Khassim Mulungi, despite Mulungi's victory during the Olympic Qualifiers, have raised eyebrows.

Additionally, the injured yet talented Matovu Ukasha’s inclusion as Isaac Zebra Ssenyange’s reserve partner further muddies the waters.

To top it off, the disproportionate ratio of officials to athletes – with 11 officials listed, surpassing the number of boxers – signals potential administrative lapses or oversights.