President Yoweri Museveni on Sunday, 18 August 2024 officially opened the 21st Edition of the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSA) Games.
The games, which will run up to 27 August 2024 are being hosted by Bukedea Comprehensive School and Amus College School in Bukedea District, making it the seventh time Uganda is hosting these intercontinental secondary games.
This year’s FEASSA Games have brought together over 3,000 participants from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and South Sudan.
While at the launch of the games, which also marked the official commissioning of Bukedea Comprehensive Sports Park, a multipurpose sports stadium built by Speaker Anita Among, President Museveni commended the Speaker for being industrious and developmental, thus promoting the local economy.
He urged other leaders to emulate her good and exemplary deeds to attain regional development.
“I want to thank the Rt Hon. Anita Among who developed this stadium at a reasonable cost and quickly. This should serve as an example for other regions to emulate so that they can develop stadiums in other parts of the country,” Museveni said.
Museveni re-echoed the Speaker as instrumental in bridging the gap between the executive and legislature.
“I am very happy with what Rt Hon. Anita Among has done. There is less friction in Parliament, between Parliament and the Executive and as you can see, she is very active in the area here,” Museveni said, adding that he found her a quick learner and an active person.
To the young athletes, Museveni urged them to take sports as a source of livelihood.
“Do not be diverted into only thinking of things in Europe and forget about your own destiny…The East African integration is not just about sports. It’s an issue of livelihood,” he said.
Among appreciated the President’s commitment to sustainable growth and development including the promotion of sports.
” Sports is indeed a universal language which enables participants to understand each other regardless of where they come from, how they look like or what they believe in,” Among said.
State Minister for Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwang advised the athletes to desist from engaging in acts that undermine the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play.
President Museveni later proceeded to Kongunga Primary School in Kachumbala County where he addressed a rally.
The Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, several Ministers, Members of Parliament and the business community were in attendance.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.