Two Ugandan boxers qualify for Rio Olympics

Kampala, March 22 (IANS) Ugandan boxers Ronald Serugo and Kenneth Katende have qualified for the Rio Olympic Games.

"We are happy that we have more athletes make it for the Olympic team," Uganda Olympic Committee President William Blick told Xinhua on Monday.

Uganda Boxing Federation spokesman Fred Kavuma told Xinhua that the team will return home from Yaounde, Cameroon where they participated in the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) African Olympic Qualification event.

Serugo will be making his second appearance in the Olympic Games after he beat South Africa's Sikho Nqothol 2-1 in a flyweight play-off, while Katende stopped Lesotho's Moroke Mokhotho in another play-off.

The two boxers now join a list of nine athletes who have already qualified to represent Uganda at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

"We shall try to make sure we send more boxers for another qualifier in Azerbaijan," said Kavuma.

According to the AIBA, 129 boxers have already qualified for the Olympic Games with Cuba having the highest number at 10.

In Africa, Morocco and Algeria have qualified the biggest number of boxers at nine and seven respectively.