Africa-Press – Uganda. The next five years start with a budgetary strain for the already financially constrained sports sector, National Council of Sports general secretary Bernard Ogwel has said, adding that “there will be no additional increment on the threshold of funding for the sector.”
NCS have been receiving Shs18b and despite the Covid-19 pandemic hitting hard since last year, that value will not grow in the new financial year that starts in 31 days.
However, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the 2022 Commonwealth Games headline activities that require immediate funding from government.
With some athletes due to travel to Tokyo for training camps from as early as June 15, NCS cannot even afford to wait for the new financial year.
“We’re trying to find ways of obtaining off-budget support maybe through the private sector and making a case for a supplementary budget in the near future,” Ogwel, who was speaking during the NCS board and secretariat retreat in Nsambya to review the past year and preview the next five, added.
Federations strugglingIn all likelihood though, NCS will have to prioritise its finances as the list of demands, including rehabilitation of sports facilities and athletes development, is bulging.NCS will consult with the federations on what the strategic focus should be from now until 2025.
While NCS re-registered federations under Statutory Instrument No. 38 of 2014 – to sort the image of sports that was awash with wrangles, lack of accountability, among other things – the regulatory body has struggled to follow through with some of the promises like increased funding.
NCS prioritised funding to football, netball, basketball, rugby, athletics, boxing and para-sport, while others are attended to if their requests can be met by the NCS budget.“The funding guidelines are being discussed.
There is a committee that was put in place led by the Attorney General’s office. They have held four meetings and we hope that soon they will come and consult with the federations,” NCS chairman Donald Rukare said.
