KAMPALA- President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has welcomed and held a meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, His Excellency, Filippo Grandi, and the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach together with their delegations at State House Entebbe.
President Museveni who was accompanied by his wife Mrs Janet Kataha Museveni told the UNHCR team that the issue of refugees is a matter of principle and during his student movement in the ’60s, which later metamorphosed into a political – military movement, he was able to analyse the three-dimensional mistakes of philosophy, ideology and strategy and reverse the situation in Uganda politically.
President Museveni noted that he was able to reorient politics from the politics of identity to the politics of interest and that is how he able to pacify Uganda and achieve zero exports of refugees.
On his part UN High Commissioner for Refugees Fillipo Girandi said that his team was in Uganda to learn about their experiences of hosting the refugees and how they can support the country on Managing the ever increasing refugee incursion in Uganda.
On the other hand, the President of International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach recognized the effort of Uganda’s President contribution to the growth of sports by awarding him a honorary medal.
The International Olympic Committee President thanked the government of Uganda under the leadership of Museveni for always supporting sports, which has been proved by the many medals that the country won on the international stage, including the Olympics.
Museveni, accompanied by his wife and Minister of Education and Sports Mrs Janet Kataaka Museveni, pledged that the government would provide land for building the new Uganda Olympic Committee headquarters.
Earlier, the IOC President Bach also met Uganda’s Prime Minister Rt Hon Robinah Nabbanja, who made it clear that the government will always support sports because it contributes a lot to the country in terms of nation-building.
Donald Rukare,
While speaking on behalf of Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC), the Organisation President Donald Rukare, told journalists that he was very humbled that President Museveni has pledged to provide land to build the new Uganda Olympic Committee headquarters.
“The old headquarters have been in Lugogo for many years, and having a new home is our dream,” Rukare said.
Thomas Bach’s visit to Uganda comes as part of his broader tour of African countries, which includes Senegal, South Africa, Lesotho, Uganda and Rwanda before the end of his tenure as International Olympic Committee President where he is assessing the progress of the committee’s efforts on the continent.
During his visit to Uganda, Thomas Bach is set to engage with Olympic athletes, leaders of sports federations, associations, and key stakeholders within the country’s Olympic and sports landscape.
WHO IS THOMAS BACH
Thomas Bach was born on December 29th, 1953, in Wurzburg, Germany and his early years were shaped by a passion for sports which he took up in his youth and grew up in Tauberbischofsheim, a town known for its elite fencing academy where he was introduced to the sport at a high level.
The fencing academy was instrumental in shaping Germany’s top fencers, and Bach benefited from this environment, eventually competing internationally and as a fencer, Bach specialised in the foil discipline and was a key member of the German national fencing team in the 1970s.
His career saw several notable achievements, the pinnacle being his gold medal at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, where he competed in the team foil event.
