Wrangles cost East Africa boxers a chance at the London Games

To many who have kept up with regional boxing, it comes as a tragedy that only two boxers from the region will participate in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

In the AIBA African Olympic Qualifying Event held in Casablanca, Morocco, Kenya managed to send a squad of nine boxers although the selection and preparations were done poorly.

Tanzania was represented by three pugilists but the shocker came from Uganda, who failed to field a team at the qualifier, thanks to the persistent wrangles that have divided the Uganda Amateur Boxing Federation into two factions. One faction is led by former professional boxer Geoffrey Nyakana and the other by Ntege Ssengendo.

Ssengendo, who was floored by Nyakana during the election, is backed by former UABF president Roger Ddungu, who is also in the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC).

Curiously, the UOC executive has suspended Ddungu for alleged abuse of office but he insists he is still in charge.
Nyakana, who was voted UABF president after Ddungu’s resignation in 2009, claims to be the legitimate head of the body but has faced fierce resistance from Ssengendo.

Just like the situation in Uganda, Amateur Boxing Association of Kenya has been embroiled in administrative wrangles since last year. There are two factions led by the suspended chairman Samson Mugasha and the interim chairman John Kameta, who is backed by Kenya National Sports Council.

The wrangles in Kenya saw the Mugasha-backed Kenya Defence Force (KDF) and Nairobi, which have some of the finest boxers, decline to release their pugilists for last year’s Maputo All Africa Games and the London Olympic Games qualifiers, thus denting the country’s medal prospects.

Among the KDF boxers who missed out was the 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Nick Okoth.

Kenya managed to get five boxers to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games after the Africa qualifiers.

They were Bernard Ngumba (51kg Silver), Nicholas Okongo Okoth (57kg Gold), Nickson Abaka (69kg Silver) and Aziz Ali (81kg Silver).

Uganda and Tanzania had one each; Ronald Sergo (48kg Bronze) and Emiliani Polino (54kg Bronze) respectively.
However, the East African lads all lost their first round matches.

Kenya’s Benson Gicharu and Tanzania’s Selemani Kidunda will now carry the weight of the 78 million people from the region to the London Games.

The Tanzanians who fell on the way are Polino (bantam) and Victorian Njaiti (light welter).
The Kenyans who didn’t qualify were Peter Warui (light fly); Martin Oluoch (bantam); Dennis Okoth (light); Victor Opiyo (light welter); Rayton Okwiri (welter); Tobias Ayot (middle); Ali Aziz (light heavy); Daniel Shisia (heavy) and Charles Okoth (Super heavy).
Gicharu pounded Guifutela Crimildo (Mozambique), Jason Lavigilante (Mauritius) and Micah Duke (Ghana) on his way to the final where he lost to the All Africa Games gold medallist Oteng Oteng of Botswana. 

Kidunda sailed through to the London Games thanks to more slots in his category despite losing to Moroccan Mehdi Khalsi in the quarter finals. Kidunda had stopped Khab Thiam of Cote de Ivoire in the second round. It’s Khalsi, who silenced Kenya’s Okwiri in the first round.

After bundling out Ethiopian Tilahun Tewodros in the second round, Polino would bow out to Isaac Dogboe of Ghana in the quarter finals of the bantam fray where Kenya’s Martin Oluoch lost to Lbida Aboubakar of Morocco in the second round.
Njaiti lost in the first round to qualifier Gilbert Chombe of Zambia in the light welter contest where Kenya’s Opiyo lost to another qualifier Brice Bassole from Burkina Faso.

ABA chairman Kameta, who downplays the issues of poor selection and wrangles, reckons that Kenya’s luck lustre performance has been brought about by several factors including lack of sponsorship, equipment and transparency in governance.
National Olympic Committee of Kenya chairman Kipchoge Keino says wrangling in ABA cost Kenya more slots at the London Games. “It’s unfortunate that these boxing officials opted to put their selfish egos and interests before the boxers.

Nyakana blames Ssengendo for Uganda’s boxing woes saying he declined to facilitate for the qualifiers. Nyakana says the wrangles are what saw Uganda send a second-rate team for the AAG in Maputo.

In total, Africa will have 48 boxers at the London Olympics with Morocco having the lion’s share of seven boxers. Algeria has six, Egypt five, Ghana and Cameroon four and Tunisia three. Gabon, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa have two each while Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania and Zambia will send one each.

“Many companies that used to support boxing for instance Kenya Breweries and Bamburi Cement stopped owing to the harsh economical situation. This has been further compounded by a lack of transparency by the previous office, which kept sponsors away,” says Kameta.

“We lack vital equipment like rings and boxing gloves, which are essential in talent development,” added Kameta.
Kameta explains that the game has been diversified adding that poor officiating at the high level has also cost some countries.  “Countries have stepped up their game and it’s no longer a time where Morocco, Kenya and Egypt used to dominate,” says Kameta. “While it’s awkward to keep on complaining about refereeing but it open boxers from North Africa countries were favoured.”

Kameta explains that the issue of officiating topped the AIBA Congress where countries from East, Central and Southern Africa demanded for their own Olympic quota to enable a level playing field. He terms the boycott by KDF boxers and Nairobi as selfish. “It’s the height of selfishness for KDF management to deny their boxers a chance to such championship,” say Kameta.

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) chairman, Kipchoge Keino says wrangling in ABA cost Kenya more slots at the London Games. “It’s unfortunate that these boxing officials opted to put their selfish egos and interest first before the boxers.

Nyakana who blames Ssengendo for Uganda’s boxing woes saying he declined to facilitate for the qualifiers. “That is why he has been suspended and the government is also in the process of taking action against him. This has never happened in Uganda’s sporting history,” says Nyakana adding that it’s the wrangles that saw Uganda send a second-rate team for the AAG in Maputo.

Nyakana echoed Kameta’s sentiments and called for the revival of the defunct Federation of East, Southern and Central African Boxing Associations (FESCABA) so as to stem the dominance of the North African countries. “This part of Africa should wake up to the reality that AIBA has killed FESCABA,” says Nyakana.
In total, Africa will have 48 boxers at the London Olympics with Morocco having the lion’s share of seven boxers. Algeria has six, Egypt five, Ghana and Cameroon four each and Tunisia three. Gabon, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa have two each while Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania and Zambia one each.