Uganda Aquatics Nationals usher in historic electronic timing era at KISU

The 11th edition of the Uganda Aquatics National Swimming Championships, currently taking place from July 2–5 at Kampala International School Uganda (KISU), has extended far beyond the boundaries of a routine domestic sporting event.

This year’s competition has not only brought together the country’s finest swimmers but has also marked a defining turning point in Uganda’s sporting infrastructure, introducing technology that places the nation firmly on a more professional and internationally aligned trajectory.

For the first time in its history, Uganda Aquatics has officially rolled out internationally recognised electronic timing technology, a major advancement that significantly elevates the standard of competition management in Ugandan swimming.

The introduction of this system represents a bold step toward bridging the gap between local events and the elite global stage, including competitions such as the Olympic Games and World Aquatics Championships, where precision and instant data delivery are non-negotiable.

At the heart of this transformation is the deployment of electronic touch pads and a fully integrated live digital results platform, both of which are being used for the very first time at a national championship in the country. These innovations ensure that race results are captured instantly, processed automatically, and displayed in real time, fundamentally changing how athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators experience competitive swimming in Uganda.

Uganda Aquatics General Secretary Max Kanyerezi emphasized that this investment is not only about upgrading equipment but also about aligning the federation’s technical capacity with global standards set by World Aquatics.

He explained that continuous training and international exposure have played a central role in preparing Uganda’s technical officials for such advancements, ensuring that the transition to high-level technology is both smooth and professionally grounded.

“We do expect quite new technology. I sit on the technical committee of World Aquatics as the African representative, and we always train technical officials worldwide on the techniques that international aquatics requires. Even here at home, we make sure our technical officials are up to speed with what the regulations of World Aquatics require us to have.”

Uganda Aquatics General Secretary Max Kanyerezi

Kanyerezi further described the introduction of touch pads as a landmark achievement in the federation’s history, highlighting its psychological and competitive impact on athletes who have long associated such facilities with international competitions abroad.

According to him, the availability of the same technology in Uganda now removes that barrier, giving homegrown swimmers the confidence that they are competing under the same conditions as their international counterparts.

“It’s the first time in history that Uganda now acquires these touch pads, and we’ve looked at it as a way to boost the athletes’ performance because they always say, ‘we are going to Kenya because there are touch pads, we are going here because there are touch pads’. This time Uganda also has touch pads, and that is something that is really going to be amazing.”

Uganda Aquatics General Secretary Max Kanyerezi

The electronic touch pads themselves represent a major leap from traditional manual timing systems.Installed at both ends of every lane, these pressure-sensitive panels are engineered to capture a swimmer’s finishing time the moment contact is made with the wall. Unlike human-operated stopwatches, which depend on reaction speed and can introduce minor inconsistencies, the new system measures performances with extreme precision down to fractions of a second, ensuring fairness, accuracy, and consistency across all events.

Beyond accuracy, the system is fully integrated into a central digital scoreboard, allowing race times, split times, and final results to be displayed almost instantly for everyone involved in the competition. This real-time visibility enhances the overall experience of the championships, making results more accessible and transparent while also allowing coaches to analyse performances immediately after each race.

In relay events, the technology adds another layer of sophistication by synchronising with sensors installed on the starting blocks. This ensures that outgoing swimmers only leave the blocks after their teammates have completed a legal touch, thereby strictly enforcing competition rules and eliminating false starts or illegal exchanges that might otherwise go unnoticed in manual systems.

Technically, the touch pads are designed with high sensitivity and durability to ensure they only respond to intentional contact. They are engineered to ignore water turbulence, splashes, and wave motion, instead activating only when a swimmer applies firm, direct pressure.