By Sharon Tibenda

9^th July 2012:

British Airways [BA], the Official Airline Partner of the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympic Games will fly the main Ugandan Olympic contingent to this year’s summer games after agreeing to provide the UOC preferential seats and significantly discounted tickets to Ugandan athletes and officials travelling to London for what promises to be the biggest and most exciting ever Olympiad.

Announcing the development at a press conference held at the British High Commission last week, Faith Chaitezvi, the BA Country Commercial manager for Uganda said:

“…We feel proud and honoured to be flying the Ugandan contingent to the games which feature a very strong team some of whom are already recognized world class athletes while others are up and coming stars participating at a major global meet for the very first time”.

Chaitezvi also said that as a British Airline, the northern hemisphere summer is usually one of BA’s peak travel seasons, adding that, for that reason, “…seats are not easily available.”  That notwithstanding, BA said when UOC approached it with a request for assistance, they knew that they “…had to make an exception.”

This, BA said, is because of the importance of the games and the impact they would have on the lives of the Olympians and Uganda as a whole – hence the major discount.  “…In real terms we are giving the UOC a deal with a sponsorship value of $21,000 USD, or just over 54 million shillings when you consider the savings accrued to the entire contingent.” Chaitezvi said.

Speaking at the same event, the acting president of the UOC William Blick said:  “…I am very excited about the offer from BA to the UOC because we will now be able to travel with a much larger contingent of athletes”.

Blick also underscored the fact that BA is the only commercial carrier with direct flights between Entebbe and London, saying, “…this is very important for many of our athletes, especially the long distance runners who need to travel as close to the race day as possible to be in their peak physical condition after extended high altitude training”.

This will be the third time London is hosting the Olympics, which in itself, is a world first. Commenting on London’s readiness for the games, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Uganda Philip Mani said, “…we are on track to deliver a fantastic summer of sport and culture. The London 2012 Games will be a great moment for us and we are looking forward to welcoming Team Uganda and all the other athletes, officials and friends from around the world to Britain”.

Dennis Galabuzi, the Chief of Mission for Team Uganda, urged Ugandans to rally behind their athletes.  “…While few Ugandans will make the journey, I appeal to all Ugandans to send messages of support and follow us live on television and online”, Galabuzi said.  END.  Login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories mid-week for our updates

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