The 18th edition of the Inter-Forces Games has been launched, with the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) set to host this year’s competition in Gulu.
The annual competition brings together four security institutions: the UPDF, Uganda Police Force, Uganda Prisons Service and Uganda Wildlife Authority.
The games are intended to promote cooperation among security personnel while encouraging physical fitness, teamwork and better relations between security agencies and the public.
The competition will officially run from August 24 to September 4, with St Joseph College Layibi in Gulu serving as one of the main venues for the event. The UPDF 4 Infantry Division is hosting the competition this year.
The organising committee has said preparations at the venue, including work at the shooting range, are progressing well.
The participating teams will compete in several sporting disciplines, including football, netball, volleyball, handball, athletics, taekwondo and shooting. The competition will bring together officers and other personnel from the four security institutions in an effort to strengthen cooperation through sport.
Speaking to journalists at the Uganda Media Centre ahead of the games, the UPDF deputy spokesperson Col Henry Obbo said the competition was not simply about winning medals but also about building stronger working relationships among the security agencies.
Obbo said the games provide an opportunity for security personnel to improve their physical fitness and develop skills that are useful in their work.
He said the competition also creates an opportunity for security personnel to interact with members of the public in a more relaxed environment, particularly those who attend the matches.
According to Obbo, such interactions can help improve understanding between security personnel and the communities they serve.
The UPDF has previously described the Inter-Forces Games as an important platform for strengthening teamwork and cooperation among the participating institutions.
At the same briefing, the police spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke rejected the suggestion that there is generally a poor relationship between security agencies and the public.
Rusoke acknowledged that there have been isolated incidents that may have affected public perceptions of security agencies, but said these should not be used to describe the relationship between the forces and citizens as a whole.
He said the games would provide another opportunity for security personnel to engage with members of the public outside their normal security duties.
“We use these games as part of the platform to win people’s love and strengthen the security forces’ good relationship with the public,” Rusoke said.
He added that the competition would also help strengthen relationships among the security institutions themselves.
Kituuma said the participation of the UPDF, Police, Prisons and UWA means that personnel from institutions with different responsibilities will have an opportunity to interact, compete and learn from one another.
The previous edition of the Inter-Forces Games was hosted by the police at Kabalye Police Training School.
