Pictorial: Uganda’s Badminton Team Shines at Thomas & Uber Cup in China

Uganda’s women’s badminton team commended China for its excellent organization of the 2024 Thomas and Uber Cup, which concluded on Sunday in Chengdu.

While China triumphed in both the Thomas and Uber Cups, Uganda was eliminated in the group stage of the Uber Cup.

Despite losing all their Group C matches to Japan, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, China, the Ugandan team valued the exposure and organizational quality of the event.

The team, comprising Tracy Naluwooza, Husina Kobugabe, Shamika Mohammed Rafi, and Gladys Mbabazi, returned to Uganda on Monday after their debut at the Uber Cup.

“It was a good experience playing at the Uber Cup, and the level of professional organization by the hosts, China, was of very high standards and very memorable,” Naluwooza told Xinhua.

The pair of Husina Kobugabe and Gladys Mbabazi, who won gold at the African Games in Ghana a month ago, also praised China for the good show in the level of organization.

“This was a very big stage for some of us, and the standard of the organization was also huge, with China doing a great job,” said Mbabazi.

Her counterpart Kobugabe explained that the event was very competitive with the best players in the world and was well organized.

Simon Mugabi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Badminton Association (UBA), said that although Team Uganda failed to make it through the group stage, it was a good experience for them because they are young players who have to improve.

“It is unfortunate the players also failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics, but the many international tournaments they have played in over the last one year and the Uber Cup have exposed them enough to learn new things,” added Mugabi.

By Xinhua