The much-anticipated Jinja Fun Rugby Sevens Festival is set to return to Uganda’s rugby calendar come April 15, 2022, for its 17th edition. The long-awaited tournament is expected to take place at Dam Waters Rugby Club in Jinja on Good Friday.
The event, which is designed to demystify and popularize the game of rugby around the country has this time taken the festival a notch higher by bringing on board Guinness Uganda, a brand that is synonymous with sports and the game of rugby in the country.
Speaking about the event, the Guinness Brand Manager, Elizabeth Mutamuliza spoke on the brand’s commitment to the game of rugby and Guinness’ new partnership with the Jinja Fun Rugby Festival.
“It comes as no surprise that we are part of the festival this year. Rugby is a core part of who we are as Guinness and a game that is generally enjoyed by our consumers. Our commitment to the sport is unwavering and this is the first of many tournaments that we are going to be a part of,” said Mutamuliza.
“The Jinja Rugby Sevens offers both the game of rugby and funfair. The objective for this is to make rugby fun and social. We have taken it from just competition, hence its now made of more,” she added.
Other activities at the festival will include a blood donation drive, medical check-ups, face painting, entertainment on the pitch with various artists, music dance groups, and standup comedy, among others.
This edition is expected to host 19 Men’s teams and eight Women’s teams from both Kenya and Uganda with winners from both the Men’s and the Women’s teams set to take home the winner’s trophy and medals. in addition, the winning team in the Women and Men category will walk away with a cash prize of UGX1 million each. Entry to the event is UGX5,000 per person.
Guinness’ involvement in the rugby festival comes as no surprise since the beer brand is known for its commitment to sports with football and rugby at the forefront.