Team Zama receiving their cash prize.

By Our Reporter

The 8th season of Friday Night Lights (FNL) which climaxed on Friday saw Team Zama crowned champions.

Team Zama emerged victorious in a hotly-contested game against Team Ikong after managing to a nail shot in the dying seconds of the final. Team Zama won the exciting final 21-20 and was awarded a cash prize of Shs1.5M while first runners up Team Ikong bagged Shs1M.

Even the second and third runners up did not go with bare pockets as Team Flirsh and Team Madol got Shs500,000 and Shs250,000 respectively. Team Flirsh beat Madol 21-17 in the third playoff tie.

The evening was not short on fun and entertainment as DJ Simples treated revellers to the best music as the games went on with a crowning performance from Nina Roz who excited fans when she stepped on stage to perform some of her hit songs like “Omuliro” and “Anayinama” among others.

By Staff Writer

Which sports do you like the most – football, horseracing or something more offbeat like cricket?

The sports climate in Uganda seems to be a thrilling one this year. If you are into Betway basketball betting, we are sure you’ve already tried out betting on your favorite sports.

Fans and the sports fraternity have their own expectations as well. Here is a look at some of the sports leaders’ predictions in Uganda.

1. Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON)

The 32nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will take place this summer in June. The new host for the tournament will be Egypt after Cameroon noted the last version of the competition. There are 24 teams which are looking to book a place in the top 16 and that includes Uganda.

The Cranes, which are the national team of Uganda, are looking to fly their flag high in this year’s tournament. In the last match, the Cranes performed quite well having topped their group with 13 points.

Sports leaders in Uganda believe that if the Cranes still play this years tournament with the same agility, they can lift the cup. In 2015 cranes managed to make it to the semi-finals of the AFCON. It was a significant achievement to them because it had taken them 38 years to reach the semi-finals.

2. Olympic qualifiers.

Japan will be hosting the 2020 Olympics after fifty-six years of hosting the event. However, the XXXII Olympiad will be different from the last one because it will be more modernized. Uganda is looking to shine in the international scene, and the Olympics are part of the picture.

The government is taking the initiative to fund the sports sector. This will help various athletes who will participate in the Olympics to adequately prepare for the tournament.

For instance, the National High-Altitude Training Centre in Kapchorwa is undergoing some renovations a right place for the athletes to practice for the Olympics. If the sports sector keeps on getting the kind of support it is getting from the government then Uganda will be riding on a wave of success.

3. The Netball World Cup.

The Netball World Cup is due later this year. It will be held in Liverpool, England. She Cranes are also looking to make their country proud. Currently, they are ranked seventh in the IRF World Rankings.

Although they will face a tough challenge having England, Scotland, and Samoa in the same group, the She Cranes are still optimistic they will win. Head Coach Rashid Mubitu is proud of his team especially after two of his players were selected to in the top leagues. Mary Nuba is currently playing for the professional league in the UK while the team’s captain Peace Proscovia is in Australia.

Verdict

Uganda has one of the most active sports teams in the African continent. If things go as planned, then sports fans in Uganda will be smiling the whole year.

By Our Reporter

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has launched its annual charity Marathon dubbed the NSSF Kampala 7 Hills Hash Run which for the first time will be open to the wider public. Previously, the run was only open to corporate companies that supported the cause by registering their employees as a team to participate in the run.

While addressing the Journalists at Lugogo MTN Arena, NSSF Managing Director, Richard Byarugaba revealed that this year’s run has also expanded to benefit four upcountry schools on top of the KCCA public schools in Kampala. “We realised that there are so many dilapidated schools in rural areas that are in dire need of help and as a Fund we decided to expand the initiative and include upcountry schools so that they can study from a conducive environment.”

The individual participation cost is 25,000 per person while companies will participate according to the different packages that include Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

“This year, we have given ourselves an ambitious target of raising over 500 million to go towards schools here in Kampala and upcountry and are tasking ourselves, our partners and the general public to come together to support this important cause,” Byarugaba said, adding that a conducive learning environment is important to the education of children.

Every year for the past three years, NSSF has held the exciting and challenging Seven Hills Hash Run in partnership with the Kampala Hash House to raise money for KCCA schools in Kampala. So far, over 300 million has been collected and handed over to the management of KCCA and over six schools have benefitted from this charitable cause.

The Kampala Hash House Harriers Master, Mr. George Mbiko applauded NSSF for reaching out to needy schools in society and said that he is proud of the impact that the NSSF Seven Hills Run has had on the communities in which these schools are and has pledged to continue commitment to working with NSSF to see that the run grows bigger and attracts more participants every year in order to help refurbish more dilapidated schools across the country.

The Seven Hills Run will this year be held on March 17th 2019, giving participants one month and a half to reach fitness peak in order to be able to tackle the treacherous route. “We are hoping that participants in this year’s run take ample time to get in the best shape in order to conquer all the 7 hills without any injuries.”

The Acting KCCA Executive Director Eng. Andrew Kitaka commended NSSF for working with the authority to improve the quality of infrastructure for education, affirming that all the Funds will be put to the right cause to ensure that pupils have conducive structures to foster a good learning environment. “Last month, NSSF handed over to us UGX 93 million and this will go towards refurbishing classroom blocks at Mbuya and St. Paul Nsambya primary schools, a process that has already started. We have received over UGX300M over the last 3 years now and I am happy to hear that they are extending this support to benefit other districts as well because the plight of school infrastructure extends beyond our beautiful city,” he said.

Some of the companies that have already signed up to support this year’s run include; Stanbic Bank, Vision Group, Mukwano Industries, Umeme, Housing Finance, Daily Monitor, Red Pepper Publications, Galaxy FM, Orient Bank among others.