Yoweri Museveni has congratulated Gold medal winner Joshua Cheptegei for his recent outstanding performance in the 10,000 metre World Junior Championship race that took place in USA in Oregon State from 22nd to 27th last month.
"I congratulate Joshua and the group for their good work. You are still young, and you can still do wonders," he said as he also handed over a Mitsubishi Lancer Car and Shs. 20 million to Joshua Cheptegei as an appreciation for winning Uganda another Gold medal that he noted had put the country on the world map.
The President also pledged Shs.5 million each to athletes Abdallah Kibet Mande who also participated and finished in 5th position in the 10,000 metres race, Stella Chesang who was 4th in the 5,000 meters race for ladies and Philip Kipyeko who was 6th in the 5,000 metres for men.
Athlete Kipyko is a Uganda Prisons Officer while the rest are from the Uganda Police Force.
The President was speaking at a ceremony organized at State House, Nakasero in honor of Joshua Cheptegei's performance.
The Ceremony that drew Ministers, Police Officers, officials from the Uganda Athletics Federation, Bugema University, and parents of Joshua Cheptegei, kicked off with a special breakfast.
President Museveni commended Police, Prisons and the UPDF Officers for implementing his directive to recruit into the forces all people that are talented in athletics saying the arrangement has yielded good results.
He urged parents to allow their children who exhibit talents in sports to develop them for better performance because, he stressed, sports is marketable as sports men and women earn a lot of money from their performance.
Addressing himself further on the advantage of sports, the President reiterated that it creates stamina for the body to accomplish many things, trains one to have characters that can achieve targets through perseverance, roots cooperation for success, entertains and gives publicity to the country.
The Minister of Education and Sports, Maj. Jessica Alupo lauded Joshua Cheptegei upon his resounding success that she said has earned Uganda global recognition.
She said that Uganda was placed in the 15 position out of the 31 countries that won medals from over 214 countries that participated in the championship.
She thanked the Ugandan contingent for better representation of their country.
She also thanked the parents of Joshua Cheptegei, Mr. Stephen Munerya and Mrs. Irene Chemusto for developing their child's athletics talent.
Maj. Alupo thanked President Museveni for his continuous support to sports activities in Uganda saying it has enabled many sports men win medals.
She disclosed the Government has made available Shs. 2 billion for the construction of the high altitude facility in Kapchorwa district for athletes' training.
She said that her Ministry is working closely with the Uganda Athletics Federation to host the World Athletics by 2017.
The Inspector General of Police Gen. Kale Kayihura reported that he followed the advice given by the President to recruit athletes in the Police Force the reason the country is receiving better results.
He said it is their pleasure that what the President guided them in is bearing fruit.
Gold Medalist Joshua Cheptegei thanked President Museveni for supporting the athletes and Gen. Kale Kayihura for employing many youth in the Force. He said determination, perseverance and the fear of God made him to succeed.
He added that Ugandan athletes are determined to surprise the world with good performance in the future.
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