Uganda issues strict code of conduct for Commonwealth Games team

KAMPALA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The Commonwealth Games Association of Uganda (CGAU) has issued a strict code of conduct that all athletes and officials who will represent Uganda at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games have signed.

"All the 69 athletes and officials have had to sign this document because we need to have an orderly flow of things," Moses Mwase, the assistant team manager of Uganda's team, told Xinhua on Sunday.

Mwase explained that each athlete and official was asked to make the pledge and sign the code of conduct, which is binding.

According to the penalties in the code of conduct which Xinhua has seen, if an athlete or official breaks the code of conduct, he or she will be expelled from the team and returned home to Uganda.

The code of conduct also spells out that if an athlete contravenes the rules then they could be stopped from participating in future Commonwealth Games, para-athletic or other CGAU sponsored events.

Another penalty set out calls for a denial of funding from the CGAU athlete support programs if an athlete breaches the code.

"An athlete will not commit a doping violations as defined by the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code and or statutes of International federation or the Games code of conduct," the document specifies under the team member's pledge.

Ugandan athletes and officials have also been asked not to engage in any conduct that is criminal, including, but not limited to laws governing the possession and use of drugs and alcohol and providing of drugs to any person.

"We have had to be very strict this time and warned all athletes and officials," added Mwase. Uganda will field 69 athletes in 11 disciplines in the Games that run from April 5-15. Enditem