The pioneer sport for the team in Uganda is chess at the BRICS games. Interestingly, the games are played in formats similar to the Common Wealth Games, African Games, and Olympic Games.
Although the games are relatively new, they are arguably much bigger than the African games and will be tipped to surpass the Common Wealth Games at the next edition.
The main reason for their ever-increasing popularity is that they are more inclusive, and more and more governments are joining the BRICS as a movement.
To increase participation for individual countries like Uganda, the formation of a national BRICS association will bring together or mobilize all national federations that wish to participate in the next edition.
Consequently, the formation of a continental body like the Africa BRICS Confederation will bring together all national BRICS associations and help coordinate all efforts to fight in the next edition of BRICS.
The formation of the national BRICS associations and the Africa BRICS confederations. This should help with the presentation of budgets to individual governments and the better continental organization of teams.
For the federations and athletes, this means more competitions and opportunities to compete for more money.
Team Uganda consists of five people, including IM Arthur Ssegwanyi, FM Nsubuga Haruna, WFM Amoko Ivy Claire, WFM Shakira Ampaire, team manager Mwaka Emmanuel, who doubles as Chef de Mission, and the Uganda Chess Federation.
Note that the formation of the national BRICS associations will definitely lead to friction with NOCs, while the formation of the Continental BRICS Confederation will lead to the same with continental associations like ANOCA in Africa.
Forming a National BRICS Games Association and an Africa BRICS Games Association is crucial for several reasons:
1. Promotes Unity: A unified association fosters cooperation and unity among BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and African countries, promoting a shared vision for sports development. In the case of Uganda and many African countries, we currently need more of these networks.
2. Coordination and Organization: A central association ensures efficient coordination and organization of BRICS Games events, setting common standards and rules. In the case of Uganda and several African federations, this helps with lobbying for government support and the presentation of several larger national teams from different national federations.
3. Development of Sports: A national and continental association focuses on developing sports infrastructure, talent identification, and training programs, enhancing the quality of sports in BRICS countries and Africa.
4. Exchange and Collaboration: Associations facilitate exchange programs for athletes, coaches, and officials, promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration in sports science, technology, and innovation.
5. Enhanced Participation: A unified association encourages greater participation in international sports events, fostering global representation and competitiveness for BRICS nations and African countries.
6. Economic Benefits: Hosting BRICS Games events can generate revenue through tourism, sponsorships, and infrastructure development, benefiting local economies. Development funding to national federations.
7. Cultural Exchange: Associations promote cultural exchange, understanding, and people-to-people connections among BRICS nations and African countries, strengthening diplomatic ties.
By establishing National and African BRICS Games Associations, the participating countries can harness the power of sports to promote unity, development, and cooperation, leading to a more connected and prosperous future.
The only major challenges are political.
The writer is Eng. Mwaka Emmanuel, President, Uganda Chess Federation (UCF).
