Uganda witnessed the first ever Beach Cheza tournament at Spenah Beach on Saturday. For starters, Cheza is the modern version of ‘Kwepena’, a popular sport in many Ugandan cultures that involves one player dodging a fast moving small-sized ball hurled at them by opponents positioned at either side.
Now, a team of brilliant individuals have transformed this game with a motive of mainstreaming it into a professional sport that can be exported across borders.
Saturday started with a lot of excitement for the Cheza enthusiasts who thronged Spenah Beach ready to get involved and to cheer their friends on.
The teams that had registered with the National Cheza Association played against each other igniting both celebration and consolation moods all over the venue.
The exciting games did not end until about 8:00PM as the players and their supporters prepared to head back home.
Speaking to one of the media outlets, Simon Peter Tumukunde, the National Cheza Association Chairman, said that the event marked the beginning of a regular Beach Cheza experience that will be witnessed once in every two months.
“From the excitement that we all witnessed at this first event, we can now be sure that Beach Cheza will become a household sensation with the consequent games,” he said.
“In fact, we are even in advanced preparations to make a topflight Beach Cheza league that shall see players go professional,” he added.