The Minister of State for Sports, Peter Ogwang (pictured) has finally tabled the Physical Activity and Sports Bill 2022 that seeks to repeal the National Council of Sports Act 1964.
The tabling of the Physical Activity and Sports Bill 2022 will likely bring an end to the push and shove Parliament has been engaged in with the Cabinet over the failure to bring before Parliament this legislation, after initially thwarting efforts by Moses Magogo (Budiope East) to table the legislation in the guise of merging the two proposed legislations.
After failing to table the legislature after six months, Parliament okayed Magogo to table the National Sports Bill in November 2022, defended the enactment of his legislation arguing that it would consolidate and modernise the law relating to the incorporation and registration of national sports organisations and community sports clubs; provide for the management, promotion, development and regulation of professional, to prohibit match fixing, corruption, illegal manipulation and illegal being in sports; encourage and promote drug-free sports.
Ahead of the tabling of the Physical Activity and Sports Bill 2022, Bernard Ogwel, Secretary General National Council of Sports informed Parliament that the new legislation will help to repeal the current National Council of Sports Act that was enacted in 1964 and is obsolete and doesn’t blend with the current times.
Ogwel said: “I know that the National Council of Sports Act 1964 is still the law, but it is obsolete because of the time and it is over 50years now and what we see we need a better law. I am happy that Parliament and cabinet has come handy in this and we hope at the conclusion of this Financial Year we would have the sports bill and the sports policy for Uganda in place to support proper planning and implementation of sports agenda for government.”
Clause 56 of the Magogo bill seeks to prohibit doping where; (l) A sportsperson who uses, consumes or has in his or her possession a substance or method of sport banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency commits an offence and is liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years.
The legislation also seeks to punish a person who (a) administers to a sportsperson a substance or a method of sport binned by the World Anti-Doping Agency; encourages the use of a substance or a method of sport banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency or sells, displays for sell or has in his or her possession of a substance or a method of sport banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, commits an offence and is liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years.
Deputy Speaker Tayebwa asked the Committee on Education and Sports to scrutunise the two bills concurrently and report back to Parliament within 45days.
