The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has been crowned the overall winner of the 18th edition of the Inter-Forces Games held in Gulu City. A total of 1,017 security personnel from the UPDF, Uganda Police Force (UPF), Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) participated in the two-week competition, which began on August 24 at St Joseph’s College Layibi.
This year’s games, held under the theme “Building Synergy through Sports,” featured eight sporting disciplines for both male and female participants: darts, handball, volleyball, netball, football, range shooting, athletics and taekwondo.
The games climaxed on Friday with a football final between the UPDF and UPF, which ended in a 1-1 draw after the Police scored a late equaliser in the second half. The result handed the UPF the football gold medal and trophy. The UPDF emerged overall champions after winning gold medals in netball, volleyball and range shooting, as well as a bronze medal in taekwondo and another bronze in football.
The UPF finished second overall, winning gold in football and taekwondo, silver in athletics and range shooting, and bronze in netball. Meanwhile, Uganda Police Service finished third after winning gold in athletics, silver in taekwondo and bronze in netball.
However, the UWA team did not win a medal but received a fair-play award. The closing ceremony was attended by State Minister for Defence Grace Akifeza Ngabirano and Deputy Land Forces Commander Maj Gen Felix Busizoori, who represented Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Speaking at the event, Gen Busizoori said the Inter-Forces Games go beyond competition, providing an opportunity to promote comradeship, unity and partnership among the sister security forces. He said the games enabled security personnel to interact outside their normal duties, allowing them to know one another better and build professional networks.
Gen Busizoori said holding the games in Northern Uganda was deliberate, describing it as an opportunity to celebrate the peace that has returned to a region that suffered decades of Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency. He commended local communities and leaders for embracing peace and contributing to its sustainability in the region.
Minister Akifeza commended the participants for displaying talent, resilience and professionalism during what she described as “fierce” competition. “You have competed fiercely, yet respectfully, proving that while our institutions have different mandates, we remain one security family, united by one flag and one mission, to protect Uganda and our people,” Akifeza said.
She also congratulated the participants, saying that even those who did not win medals had demonstrated discipline, teamwork and commitment, which she described as victories in themselves.
Maj Gen Richard Kareimere, the UPDF Joint Staff for Formal Education, Sports and Culture, announced that the UPDF Engineering Brigade would construct a latrine at St Joseph’s College Layibi’s sports facility as part of the force’s contribution to the institution.
Kareimere said the initiative was intended to promote hygiene at the sports facility and that Shs20 million had already been deposited on the school’s account to kick-start the construction.
The pledge followed a request by the school headteacher, Walter Nyeko Otti, who asked the defence minister to remind President Museveni of pledges he made in 2014 to construct a 2.5-kilometre tarmac road within and outside the school and rehabilitate the institution’s metal workshop. The 19th edition of the Inter-Forces Games will be hosted by the Uganda Prisons Service, with the ceremonial flag already handed over to the service officials in Gulu City on Friday-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
