MTN Rewards Uganda 2020 Olympic Athlete Team UGX175.5M

Wim Vanhelleputte (far left-standing), the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Uganda congratulates the Ugandan team that represented the country at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Wim Vanhelleputte (far left-standing), the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Uganda congratulates the Ugandan team that represented the country at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
<center>Wim Vanhelleputte (far left-standing), the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Uganda congratulates the Ugandan team that represented the country at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.</center>

MTN Uganda on Friday rewarded UGX175.5 million to the entire team of athletes including coaches and administrators that represented Uganda at the recently concluded 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. This is in appreciation of their outstanding performance that earned Uganda 4 medals at the games.

The reward was not only in appreciation of the individuals’ exploits but also a celebration of the coming of age of the sport that MTN has supported over the years, through the Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF).

While handing over the cash prizes at a press conference held at the Sheraton Hotel, Mr. Wim Vanhelleputte, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Uganda congratulated the athletes and UAF for bringing home a record haul of 4 medals from a single Olympics event. He reaffirmed the telco’s commitment to continue supporting the UAF’s programs, through which some of this talent has been nurtured.

“The performance of our athletes in Tokyo is a demonstration of growth for Uganda Athletics. The athletes achieved both as individuals and as a team comprising the coaches and support staff. So, MTN has also chosen to offer a token of appreciation not only to the medalists but also the entire athletics contingent that represented Uganda,” said Vanhelleputte.

Vanhelleputte pledged MTN’s continued support of the sport through UAF.

“We salute the big strides the sport is making, and we remain committed to facilitating the progress and success of Ugandan Athletics through our partnership with the federation,” he said.

The UGX175.5 million cash prize included UGX50 million each to Joshua Cheptegei and Peruth Chemutai for winning gold, UGX25 million to Joshua Cheptegei for winning silver while Jacob Kiplimo received UGX10 million winning bronze. The rest of the athletes, coaches, and administration received UGX2 million each.

The telco also contributed UGX100 million towards the Joshua Cheptegei Foundation which is working to develop and provide a platform for young and budding athletics talent. In the same spirit, MTN will continue to provide a stage to showcase other budding athletes through the MTN Kampala Marathon.

MTN Uganda has also offered all its 15 million subscribers, a week of the MTN Dabolo offer, effective, August 14th, 2021 celebrating a milestone of Cheptegei being the first Ugandan athlete ever to win double medals at an Olympics event. In the promotion, MTN customers who load a daily data bundle will get double the volume of data they buy.

ALSO READ: MTN UGANDA HANDS OVER UGX15 MILLION TO ITS 15 MILLIONTH SUBSCRIBER

“In celebration of the triumph of Joshua Cheptege, we are offering all our subscribers a week of the MTN Dabolo offer, starting this Saturday. In the promotion, customers who load a daily data bundle will get double the volume of data,” said Wim.

Meanwhile, in line with its long-standing support for Uganda’s sports, MTN Uganda launched a sports website hub dubbed “MTN Sports”, to provide sports fans and enthusiasts a one-stop point for all sports-related news, analysis, and updates. This innovation is hinged on MTN’s vision of delivering the benefits of a digital world to its customers.