The entire Uganda athletics team of 17 athletes, 5 coaches and 3 administrators that traveled and participated at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been rewarded by telecom giants MTN Uganda with a collective sum of UGX 175,500,000.
The money includes UGX 50,000,000 each to Joshua Cheptegei and Peruth Chemutai for winning gold medals in the 5000m and 3000m Steeplechase races respectively.
MNT Uganda CEO Wim Vanhelleputte said; “The performance of our athletes is a demonstration of growth for Uganda Athletics. They achieved both as individuals & as a team comprising the coaches & support staff. MTN has also chosen to offer a token of appreciation 4 the entire team.”
During the event held at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala on Friday, it was revealed that “Cheptegei will get another UGX 25,000,000/= for the silver medal he bagged in the 10000m race while Jacob Kiplimo gets UGX 10,000,000/= for his bronze medal in the same race.”
The cash rewards are not only in appreciation of the individuals exploits but also a celebration of the coming of age of the sport that MTN Uganda has supported over the years.
UAF President Mr. Dominic Otuchet lauded MTN Uganda for providing a firm foundation for athletics in Uganda; “We commend MTN for being a consistent sponsor for the Uganda Athletics Federation president since 2004. MTN has provided a firm foundation and this is giving us victories everywhere we go.”
Uganda finished in second position on the Africa medal ranking with a total of four medals behind neighbours Kenya.
Joshua Cheptegei won a gold medal in the 5,000m race and silver in the 10,000m race while Peruth Chemutai won gold in the 3,000m Steeplechase final, whereas Jacob Kiplimo bagged bronze in the 10,000m race.
