Ogwang Calls for 55 Regional Swimming Pools, Funding to Reward Athletes

What the report says

Uganda’s Sports State Minister Peter Ogwang has urged the government to build 55 swimming pools across northern, eastern and western Uganda and to fund a formal reward program for top athletes. According to Nile Post, he made the appeal in Parliament, arguing that wider access to facilities would help identify talent and prepare more swimmers for regional and international competition.

Ogwang proposed 15 pools in Northern Uganda, 20 in Eastern Uganda and 20 in Western Uganda. He said the planned pool at Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium would not be enough to serve the north as a whole. He also asked for money to support the National Recognition and Reward Scheme under the National Sports Act, 2023, saying a funded system would reduce the need to seek ad hoc presidential rewards whenever athletes win medals.

The minister said he plans to present a motion in Parliament to formally recognise Uganda’s medal-winning athletes. The appeal came during a sitting that also highlighted recent swimming successes, including Uganda’s performance at the 11th Africa Aquatics Zone III Championships in Kampala, where the national team was recognised for topping the standings. Parliament also acknowledged swimmer Husnah Kukundakwe’s historic Commonwealth Games silver, which gave Uganda its first medal in swimming at that event, along with achievements by other swimmers at the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games. The proposals matter because they link sports infrastructure, athlete support and long-term development of swimming talent.