Uganda’s national Netball team, the She Cranes, has withdrawn from the 2023 African Netball Championship. The championship officially kicked off on Sunday in Botswana.
The decision to pull out was announced by Moses Mwase, the chairperson of the ad-hoc normalization committee overseeing netball affairs in Uganda.
According to Mwase, the She Cranes faced challenges in mobilizing a team due to ongoing management disputes within the leadership of the Netball Federation.
In October this year, the National Council of Sports (NCS) revoked the Uganda Netball Federation’s license, citing persistent governance and leadership challenges. The Netball Federation President, Sarah Babirye Kityo, was also suspended.
Mwase, speaking on behalf of the normalization committee, emphasized the need for time to organize elections. “That is part of our terms of reference, but right now, it will come a little bit late because you don’t just organize elections; you have to prepare the ground and look into the constitution, so you cannot just jump into elections now,” stated Mwase.
Despite this setback, the She Cranes are expected to regroup and participate in the upcoming Vitality Netball Nations Cup scheduled for January next year. This tournament will see Uganda facing formidable opponents, including the top three ranked sides in the world: England, Australia, and New Zealand.