Sixty-nine athletes will carry the Ugandan flag at the Commonwealth Games for the next 10 days. This is an improvement from the 65 athletes, who represented the country in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014.
For the first time in the history of the Games, Uganda has a netball team, She-Cranes. The team’s recent performances have stirred huge excitement and anticipation that they could bag one of the three medals at the games.
She-Cranes, who are ranked seventh in the world, open their account against second-rated New Zealand tomorrow. It will be an uphill task for the She-Cranes against New Zealand, the runners-up at the last edition of the Club Games.
She-Cranes captain Peace Proscovia said recently they are bracing for the big stage to face the world’s best. To qualify for the Games, She-Cranes won the Africa Netball Championship in June last year.
So, by now, they must be psychologically prepared to take on New Zealand, England, Malawi, Wales and Scotland. Top-ranked Australia, New Zealand and Jamaica respectively won top honours in 2014.
The Rugby Cranes, making their second appearance at the Games in the Sevens event, also have good momentum. However, with top guns such as England, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, South Africa and Kenya, the Rugby Cranes could be reduced to simply improving on their performance four years ago.
They finished twelfth out of 16 nations at the 2014 games. Yet, as history has shown, boxing, and track and field events have offered more medals. This is compared to shooting, weight-lifting, badminton, cycling and swimming, the other disciplines in which Uganda is represented.
Netball
Thursday@11am: Uganda v New Zealand
Saturday@7am: Malawi v Uganda
Sunday@10am: Uganda v England
Tuesday@10am: Wales v Uganda
Boxing Action starts Thursday
Swimming starts Thursday
Athletics
Cycling starts Thursday
Badminton Starts Thursday
Weight lifting Starts Thursday
Shooting Sunday
Courtesy: The Observer Uganda
