The Senior Presidential Adviser for Special Operations and Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, held a meeting with William Blick, a representative of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), at the Special Forces Command Headquarters in Entebbe.
Their discussions focused on opportunities for youth in sports and fostering human capital development.
Mr. Blick, who has been an IOC member since 2018, is only the second Ugandan, following Maj. Gen. Francis Nyangweso, to hold this position within the IOC.
The primary responsibility of IOC members is to promote the IOC’s mission of creating a better world through sport. The IOC places strong emphasis on youth education through athletics and oversees the Olympic Games, the world’s largest sporting event.
Gen. Kainerugaba has consistently highlighted the importance of sports in Uganda’s progress. Beyond advocacy, he has financially supported sports teams and undertaken initiatives to boost morale on numerous occasions.
For instance, in 2021, he covered all expenses for Uganda’s national basketball team during their participation in the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 in Kigali, Rwanda. In 2019, he contributed Shs100 million toward the establishment of the Joshua Cheptegei Training Camp in Teryet Sub-county, Kapchorwa District.
Recently, in September, he met Mathias Kiwanuka, a former NFL defensive end who returned to Uganda to promote American football. During this meeting, Gen. Kainerugaba committed to supporting Kiwanuka’s project. Kiwanuka, a grandson of Uganda’s first Prime Minister, Benedicto Kiwanuka, achieved two Super Bowl victories with the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII and XLVI.