The Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) marked a decade of nurturing Olympic values among young people with the biggest edition yet of the Olympic Values Contests, held Saturday at Kabojja International School in Buziga.
With support from Olympic Solidarity and in partnership with Kabojja International School and Debate Society Uganda, this 10th edition brought together over 500 students from more than 30 schools across the country.
They competed in ten activities including debate, essay writing, poetry, spelling, quiz, storytelling, crossword puzzles, speed cubing, and read-aloud challenges.
To emphasize the event’s spirit, students competed in mixed-school teams named after Olympic values like Friendship, Peace, Respect, and Excellence.
Team Friendship topped the standings with 1,696 points, followed by Team Humanity and Team Excellence.
UOC Executive Board Member Anne Mungoma, reflecting on the growth of the program, said:
“We started with fewer than 10 schools. Now we have over 30 and 500 students. That says a lot about the impact.”
Annet Nakamya, Chairperson of the UOC Olympic Education & Culture Commission, added;
“Olympic Solidarity has played a big part in sustaining and growing this program. Schools now look forward to it as part of their education journey.”
Kabojja International School Principal Sam Turya urged students to embrace unity over competition:
“Winning here isn’t about beating others,it’s about coming together. That’s why you competed under values, not school names.”
The event also opened doors for young talent. Debaters Blessing Tugume and Karyn Mwesigire were selected to represent Uganda at the 65th International Olympic Academy Youth Ambassadors Program in Athens, Greece.
Participating schools included Mbale SS, Rubongi Army SS, Mbarara High, Maryhill High, Gombe SS, Ntare School, and Ntungamo Girls, among others.
