It has been a crazy 2021 with a number of sports events taking place over a short period of time due to the unavoidable Global situation that had previously halted sporting activities. For sports fanatics, we can’t deny that the past months have been quite entertaining. From the Men’s FIBA AfroBasketball Qualifiers to the inaugural Basketball Africa League, Women’s FIBA AfroBasketball Qualifiers Zone V, European Championships, the Tokyo Olympics, and just ahead, we have the Men’s and Women’s FIBA AfroBasketball, the Summer Paralympics, English Premier League and currently the U16 Africa Championship Basketball games. Uganda has been part of the competitions and missed out on some of the sporting events due to a couple of reasons.
Participation for the U16 Gazelles and Silverbacks in the U16 Basketball Championship was at stake not until it was tabled in the parliament of Uganda. This motion saw the Junior teams finally have a three-day preparation before the games in Egypt. The resilience and determination shown by the youngsters at the tournament can’t be undermined as their performance surpasses their preparation.
U16 Gazelles in action against Gabon at the U16 Basketball Championships taking place in Egypt. Image source: FUBA
At the start of the tournament, it was devastating to watch our players performing as just participants rather than as competitors. It wasn’t applaudable to watch the U16 Gazelles and Silverbacks lose their first games terribly.
In their first game against Egypt, the Jr. Silverbacks played a scoreless first half, two quarters down, conceding 37 points to Egypt. I patiently waited till the end of the second quarter with hopes that we could miraculously try to recover. If disappointment had a face, I would have been its expression. The U16 boys spent the whole first twenty minutes running from half to half. Actually, it looked like a training session, and the boys in red had been summoned to perform suicides! I looked at how brave these young boys were to continue playing without having the scoreboard, which read 130:30 by the end of the game, getting to their minds.
The U16 Gazelles game against Mali wasn’t exciting either. Turnover after turnover. What I felt is actually indescribable seeing our girls’ possession become a steal converted into a basket each time Mali set its grip on the ball. Mali must have questioned if it had been presented with the right team to play against…92:12!!!!!!
The comment section under the official posts by the National Basketball Federation and the YouTube live totally accorded no respect to the players and the coaches. Attacking the coaches and the players for their poor performance was such a belittling act. I doubt any of the above set their foot on those courts intending to lose.
Context. For every year, just like we have a Financial year, there is also a Sports year/calendar, and all activities taking place will strategically be geared towards the success of the planned events. Unfortunately, the Jr. Gazelles and Silverbacks were prepared for an International competition two or three days before the event! The U16 Gazelles camped for 3 days while the Jr. Silverbacks had non-residential training before the games. Their performance goes beyond their circle of influence as they didn’t have the right resources available to them in time for the tournament’s preparation.
The U16 Silverbacks playing against Team Gabon in the U16 Basketball Championships. Image source: FUBA
Although all hope is not lost as the players managed to have comebacks in their progressive games and are potential contenders to play in the semi-finals, we should not downplay the loopholes that the tournament has exposed. Preparation is crucial for a team to have a fair, competitive advantage. Basketball is a game where practice never lies. Three days of preparation sounds like a total mockery to the sport. What has happened can’t be changed, but the future can be changed. Sports teams representing the country are performing a national duty and deserve to perform it with due diligence.
It’s high time sports as an industry is given priority at the National level, and attention is accorded to the enabling factors given to the athletes. We need to tackle the issue of sports from the grassroots level, whether it’s sports leadership or skill development. The coaches’ and players’ performance is as good as the resources available to them.
Otherwise, congratulations to Chemutai, Cheptegei, and Kiplimo, who also managed to bring home Gold, Gold plus Silver, and Bronze Olympic medals, respectively. We are still proud of the Olympians who didn’t perform as they expected because you represented Uganda at the highest accredited games competing against fellow world-ranked athletes.
Prioritize sports!
Article by Elizabeth Kisolo | kisolo@basketball256.com |Twitter: Big_Foot115
コメント