The Fresh Dairy Secondary School Games edition 2020 has been officially kicked off on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Physical Education Ministry of Education and Sports, Lamex Omara Apita.
Speaking during the launch held at St. Mary’s Secondary School, Kitende Stadium, Apita said the games came in the time when the government has just launched the new secondary school curriculum which makes Physical Education compulsory subject.
“As a government, we thank Fresh Diary for the great morale it has given in, to boosting young talents of Uganda through sponsoring secondary school games. Uganda currently is doing well almost in every international game, this is courtesy of developing young talents right from the lower level like schools,” he said.
Apita added that when companies come out and help the government is a good gesture to both the society and their clients who always buy their products.
In 2019 Fresh Dairy Uganda signed a five-year contract with Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) the organisers of the Games worth Shs 3,885,000,000 to boost sports in secondary schools across Uganda. Since the signing of this contract, significant progress of sports has to be realised through better quality of sports and also an increase in the number of students and school participating.
Patrick Okanya, President USSSA said, “The 2020 Fresh Dairy Secondary School games have registered an increase in participation of students from approximately Four Hundred Eighty thousand (480,000) in 2019 to approximately Six Hundred thousand (600,000) in 2020. The total number of disciplines to be competed in will remain at seven (7) as in 2019.”
In Basketball there 24 slots for both girls and boys, 32 slots for Football Girls U20, 12 slots for Rugby (boys) under 15, 12 slots for Hockey for both girls and boys, 12 slots for table tennis for both girls and boys, 12 slots for both Badminton and Tennis favouring both girls and boys.
According to Okanya, the games will start on March 6 to 31, 2020 with district qualifiers, regional qualifiers will begin on 1st -19th April, then national championships will take place from 1st – 10th May 2020 in Gulu district at St. Joseph Layibi and Sacred Heart Secondary School.
The Marketing Manager, Fresh Dairy Vincent Omoth said, “As title sponsors of the Fresh Dairy Secondary School Games we are humbled by the role we are playing in growing the stature of Uganda’s secondary school’s games. Fresh Dairy’s sponsorship essentially serves to nurture the sporting talent of our youth while highlighting the need for health and nutrition using our products. Fresh Dairy believes in developing a complete individual in terms of Sports, Academia and Health.”
He added that this year again, Fresh Dairy’s sponsorship will go towards kitting every team with each player getting two sets of kits during the national finals, publicity, branding venues, activations in regions, and administrative costs including trophies, medals and certificates. Also mounting a robust advertising and publicity campaign for the games across Uganda to heighten participation and interest in the games nationally.
“As part of the 2019 Fresh Dairy Secondary School games, Fresh Dairy unveiled Three (3) University Sports Scholarships for the best-performing students in Basketball (2) and Rugby (1) who were also required to score at least 19 points in their 2019 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE),” he said.
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