The Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) and Uganda Athletics Federation have backed the 2026 Tooke Run, scheduled for June 20 in Bushenyi District, as part of activities to mark Olympic Day.
The annual run, organised under the theme “Move, Learn and Discover for Nutrition Care,” will focus on promoting sport, health, nutrition, and community engagement while supporting Ugandan athletes and vulnerable groups.
UOC has earmarked the event as part of the global Olympic Day celebrations, with organisers highlighting the importance of physical activity and proper nutrition in improving individual well-being and national development.
The initiative is spearheaded by TOOKE Company, a local food manufacturing enterprise that produces nutritious banana flour-based products such as porridge, biscuits, cakes, scones, and chapati flour.
Founder Prof. Florence Muranga said the company’s products are designed to provide sustainable energy, particularly for athletes and people engaged in high-energy activities.
She explained that banana flour contains slow-digesting starch, which releases energy gradually, making it suitable for athletes and military personnel.
Muranga added that the products also aid digestion and help prevent constipation, especially for people who rely on energy-dense snacks during strenuous activities.
UOC Executive Committee Member Godwin Kayangwe said nutrition remains a key pillar in athlete development and performance.
“Nutrition starts from day one of an athlete. This partnership and vision resonate very well with our athletes. They know how difficult it is to compete at international levels where a lot of research and developments have been undertaken,” Kayangwe said.
“Those people now seem to have a competitive advantage over our athletes because of many things and this is one of them. Nutrition is a key element for performance.”
Following the run, an Olympic Week will be observed from June 22 to 27, featuring Olympic education and awareness sessions, nutrition sensitisation programmes, and community engagement activities aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles.
The programme forms part of a three-year strategic partnership between UOC and PIBID/BIRDC to create sustainable national impact in nutrition, sports development, and community transformation.
The Olympic Day Tooke Run also aims to raise nutritional support for vulnerable groups, particularly children in the weaning phase, while helping sponsor Ugandan athletes to participate in the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.
It will further promote awareness of TOOKE products as a sustainable energy source for athletes and strengthen the banana cropping system by creating visibility and linking farmers to global market chains.
Ahead of the main event, organisers will hold a high-level fundraising and stakeholder engagement breakfast on April 27, 2026, to mobilise strategic partnerships and resources for the successful delivery of the run.
The breakfast meeting is expected to be attended by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Uganda Athletics General Secretary Beatrice Ayikoru confirmed that the federation had sanctioned the event and would provide full technical support.
“The Tooke Run is one of the sanctioned events. It followed the rules and regulations of Uganda Athletics and we are ready to support the team,” Ayikoru said.
“We will have the national officials and local associations, that is Bushenyi Athletics Federation, together with the district officers on ground supporting the technical aspect of the event.”
Ayikoru noted that Bushenyi and the wider western Uganda region have a strong history in athletics and said the event could help revive talent identification in the area.
“We believe this event will identify more talent in the region. We can get talent from that region back to the national level, and for that reason we are in support of that event,” she said.
She added that Uganda Athletics would deploy a technical team on site, including route measurers, and ensure the race is officially timed.
Rev. Muranga, the Nutrition Ambassador for Uganda Olympics and Commonwealth Games, said the Olympic Day Tooke Run is built around four strategic objectives.
She said these include supporting excellence in sport through sponsorship of Ugandan athletes to Dakar 2026, raising nutritional support for vulnerable populations, promoting healthy lifestyles through communal physical activity, and supporting the East African Highland Green Banana cropping system by enhancing visibility and access to global markets.
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