Uganda is sitting on boxing talent as calls grow for the sport’s return to schools

By Emmanuel Sekago

Uganda is sitting on a wealth of boxing talent, yet the country risks losing a generation of promising young boxers because the sport is not accommodated within the school sports system.

Anyone fighting against the return of boxing to schools is, in effect, doing a disservice to Uganda and its future sporting ambitions.

The ongoing Uganda Boxing Champions League has provided a glimpse of the country’s youthful talent, with several young boxers demonstrating impressive ability and potential. However, despite their performances, these athletes face limited opportunities to progress through the national sports structures and represent Uganda at major international competitions.

The consequences of this gap are becoming increasingly evident, particularly as Uganda misses’ opportunities to develop and expose young boxers to international competition.

Uganda’s absence from the youth boxing pathway is especially concerning as the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games get underway in Senegal. The country has young boxers who could potentially have been developed into national team prospects, but the lack of a strong school-based foundation continues to undermine the sport’s growth.

Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) president Moses Muhangi has repeatedly written to the relevant authorities in the Ministry of Education and Sports, through the Physical Education and Sports Department (PES), seeking the reinstatement of boxing in schools. However, the federation’s efforts have yet to produce the desired outcome.

For any sporting discipline to succeed, it must have strong grassroots structures. Schools provide one of the most important platforms for identifying, nurturing and developing young talent. By keeping boxing outside the school sports programme, Uganda is shutting out a critical pathway through which future champions could emerge.

It is time for Parliament, particularly the Committee on Education and Sports, to engage the Uganda Boxing Federation and the Ministry of Education and Sports to find a lasting solution and ensure boxing returns to schools.

Without deliberate investment in grassroots boxing, Uganda risks missing out on future medal prospects and allowing promising young athletes to go undeveloped.

The boxing competition at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games is scheduled to take place from November 7 to 12 at the Dakar Exhibition Centre in Diamniadio, Senegal.

Boxing has featured at every edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games since the inaugural event in Singapore in 2010, underlining its importance in developing young athletes for the international stage.

At Dakar 2026, a total of 116 boxers from 77 National Olympic Committees will compete for medals, comprising 57 male and 59 female athletes.

The competition will feature five weight categories for men and five for women. The women’s categories are 48kg, 51kg, 54kg, 57kg and 60kg, while the men’s categories are 50kg, 55kg, 60kg, 65kg and 70kg.

The Youth Olympic Games have also proved to be an important stepping stone for future boxing stars. Eleven athletes who won medals at the Youth Olympic Games have subsequently reached the podium at the Olympic Games.

Others have gone on to enjoy successful professional careers, including American Shakur Stevenson, the current WBO junior welterweight world champion; New Zealand’s former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker; and reigning women’s WBO and WBC lightweight champion Caroline Dubois.

These examples demonstrate how youth competitions can provide a pathway to elite international and professional boxing.

Speaking to WallNetNews Digital, Uganda Boxing Federation president Moses Muhangi expressed concern about Uganda missing opportunities in the youth category, calling for renewed efforts to bring boxing back into schools.

Muhangi’s appeal comes amid growing concerns that the country could continue losing talented young athletes if the sport is not given a clear place in the school sports programme.

The Ministry of Education and Sports, Parliament and the Uganda Boxing Federation need to work together to restore boxing at the grassroots level.

Uganda cannot continue celebrating its sporting potential while denying young athletes the structures and opportunities required to develop it.

Boxing must return to schools. Uganda’s next generation of champions could be among the young people waiting for that opportunity.