By THE INDEPENDENT UG
KAMPALA, Uganda | Xinhua | The Uganda Badminton Association (UBA) has announced that their women’s team will participate in the Thomas & Uber Cup in China.
Simon Mugabi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Association, told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday that after South Africa withdrew, Uganda, who finished second in the All-Africa Championship, will now play in the Uber Cup.
“We are very happy about this development because it gives our women’s team a chance to play at the top and also to earn more ranking points, which will improve their chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics 2024,” added Mugabi.
China will host the 2024 Thomas & Uber Cup, the biennial international badminton championship contested by the men’s and women’s teams of the member associations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in Chengdu between April 28th and May 5th, 2024.
Last week, Uganda’s women’s badminton team secured three medals at the 13th edition of the African Games in Ghana. The duo of Husinah Kobugabe and Gladys Mbabazi clinched gold in the doubles event, while Kobugabe and Fadilah Shamika later earned silver and bronze in the singles category.
Mugabi explained that following their impressive performance at the African Games, the Uganda women’s team consisting of four players traveled to France to participate in the French Orleans Masters. Subsequently, they will also compete in the Madrid Spain Masters 2024 and another tournament in Switzerland.
“We are optimistic that after participating in these three tournaments, the four players will be in good form when they travel to China,” said Mugabi.
He further clarified that although a team can have up to six players at the Thomas & Uber Cup, Uganda will field only four due to financial constraints. “The players are even traveling without a coach because we are facing financial challenges,” added Mugabi.
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