Kisubi Regatta Camp

My journey to the Olympics as a single sculler started in a training boat on the shores of Lake Victoria at Kisubi Beach in Uganda. Since the Olympics, I have worked with local rowing clubs to revitalize rowing in Uganda. Our goal is to create a vibrant local rowing community. In January 2022, we held a two-day rowing clinic that allowed new athletes to learn to row and active rowers to improve with one-on-one coaching. View the Rowing Clinic Photo Report to see what we did. Inspired by the enthusiasm at our first event, we began planning this, not just a training camp but a regatta.

 

Goals

1. Inspire and motivate Ugandan rowers, especially those with national team potential, by providing an opportunity for them to compete

2. Foster friendship and pride amongst local rowing clubs

3. Elevate awareness about rowing in Uganda

 

The Kisubi Regatta Camp will be a three-day rowing camp held July 1-3 at Kisubi Beach, Uganda. It will culminate in Uganda’s first regatta in a 8 years. The event will open with a 2km indoor rowing event. Following that, athletes will be divided into mixed club groups and rotate between stations led by experienced coaches. Stations will include technical instruction in sweep rowing, sculling and indoor rowing, as well as informational presentations and regatta preparation. This event is open to active members of local rowing clubs.

 

The final day, July 3rd, will be the regatta. Clubs will field athletes in singles, doubles and fours. Races will be 2km. Some 500m sprints will be offered to provide less experienced yet enthusiastic rowers an opportunity to participate.

 

In order to make this camp accessible to all rowers regardless of their financial situation, we are seeking to raise money to cover the cost of meals, tent accommodation and event expenses such as renting a safety boat. We estimate we can run this camp plus the regatta for $10/person/day. Please consider donating!

  

 

Update on the Boats

For those who have been following our story, you know we’ve been persistently endeavoring to get our boats released from customs. World Rowing donated a container load of rowing boats to the Ugandan Olympic Committee in 2020 with the understanding that the shipment would be tax-exempt. However, upon arrival, the tax exemption was not recognized, and the boats were assessed a tax of around $24,000. There were no funds to pay this unexpected tax, so the boats were stuck. While I was at the Olympics, the media sport light was bright on Ugandan rowing, and we did our best to publicize this issue. In January, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by numerous Ugandan media houses and continued the appeal to the government to #releasetheboats. I am thrilled to share the government responded to our appeals and the tax has been removed from the boats! Thank you! We are very grateful!

 

That’s the good news. The bad news is that there are now almost two years of storage fees to settle that amount to a significant sum and which increase every day.

 

When I first imagined this regatta, I had hoped it would be the long-awaited boats' debut. Discussion are ongoing between the Olympic Committee, the shipping company and partners that might help us finally clear the boats. However, for now, they’re still stuck, and Ugandan Rowing continues with our nine old fiberglass-patched training boats. With this regatta, we want to show that even with the little we have, we can still develop athletes, host local competitions and enjoy rowing.