Uganda’s golden start which spelt oblivion for female boxing

KAMPALA. When Taoriba Biniati, 19, lost to Isabelle Ratna of Mauritius at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, it was a moment of firsts: not only was it the first time a Kiribati lady was competing in an international boxing event but also Biniati’s maiden appearance in a ring and against a fellow lady.
In Tarawa-Kiribati, lightweight Biniati was the only girl boxing; sparring with only boys. Her story resonates well with the She Bombers preparing for the AIBA World Women’ Boxing Championships due November 13-25 in Jeju South Korea. The ladies have endured five weeks of poorly facilitated non-residential training; and until their trip yesterday, their first international engagement was always hanging in balance.
Light fly Mourine Adhiambo embodies the qualities of a good boxer but she has not been tested enough. Like Biniati, she has missed out on several occasions before, due to lack of opponents.
“I have no serious opponent to fight,” the Rhino Boxing Club boxer told Daily Monitor. “There are some students at our club but they are too young to fight me.”
Veteran trainer Muhammad Hassan aka coach Meddie doubts the readiness of the team. He says the AIBA tournament is a good opening for the ladies but their preparations are wanting.
“How much have they trained after that long period of inactivity?” he queried. “The team has not had any qualifier tournament, let alone trials; yet our opponents must be working round the clock to bring the best to the tournament.”
Coach Meddie knows what he is talking about. He, at Kampala Boxing Club, nurtured welterweight Mariam Nalukwago (RIP) and light welter Irene Ssemakula who both won Gold medals in the inaugural 2001 Africa Women Championships in Cairo Egypt.
How then did Uganda fail to shine after that golden start? Meddie says that the authorities care less. Many admit that ladies, unlike their male counterparts, are very fragile and require kid-glove treatment. “First, the girls are not easy to persuade into boxing,” Innocent Kapalata, who introduced Helen Baleke and younger sister Diana Turyanabo to boxing, said.
“Yet it is very hard to keep them on the right track; naturally, women lack that patience,” Moureen Mulangira, a former boxer, now a promoter, added.
Many pander to the whims of nature, and the moment they give birth, they hardly bounce back into the ring.
How then can the ladies be kept in shape?
Dispirited by being left out the Glasgow Games, the Katanga-based boxers almost quit the game. Kapalata says it is as vital imparting skills to the ladies as it is to playing a parental role. “I always counsel; advise and compliment them accordingly,” he said, adding that creating rapport with their parents is a must-do.
Equally relevant is equipping them with vocational skills like tailoring, catering, et al. “This can help in keeping them busy and guarding them against distractive opportunists, especially when they are not boxing,” national team coach Dick Katende advises.
Nalukwago died and compatriot Ssemakula has vanished off the scene. Not even her coach knows her whereabouts. At least their legacy should not follow them.

SHE BOMBERS team to Jeju
Diana Atwiine (UPDF B.C) Lightweight
Helen Baleke (Rhino B.C) Welter
Mourine Adhiambo (Rhino B.C) Light fly
Diana Turyanabo (Rhino B.C) Light heavy