Gators Invitational debuts with hosts winning Uganda team title

Gators Swim Club Kampala won the inaugural Gators Invitational Championships 2026 with 4,624 points, finishing ahead of Dolphins Swim Club Kampala on 3,134.5. Aqua Akii Swim Club placed third with 1,417.5 points, while Imara Aquatics Sports Club finished fourth on 1,353.5.

The two-day meet took place in Kampala from 15 to 16 August and brought clubs from across Uganda together. It included events for swimmers aged 10–11 through to competitors in the 18-and-over category, giving younger athletes and senior swimmers a chance to race in the same championship.

Gators’ strength was clear in the separate team sections. The hosts scored 2,718 points in the boys’ competition and 1,906 in the girls’ standings. Dolphins followed in both categories, recording 1,766.5 boys’ points and 1,368 girls’ points.

Several Gators swimmers also recorded individual wins. Nissi Kahinju took the girls’ 14–15 200m freestyle in 2:20.63 before winning the 50m backstroke in 34.58. In the same age group for boys, team-mate Jayson Aronda won the 100m backstroke in 1:07.33.

Other clubs supplied notable winners. Dolphins’ Jinan Nakato claimed the girls’ 12–13 200m freestyle in 2:30.07, while Imara’s Sebastian Ssimbwa Luke won the boys’ race in 2:23.33. Gators’ Alex Rumanyika led the boys’ 16–17 100m butterfly in 1:01.13, and Thembo Katende finished first in the men’s 18-and-over 100m butterfly in 1:01.01.

Across the championship, teams accumulated 13,944 points. The first edition therefore gave Uganda’s swimmers another competitive setting to gain experience and assess themselves against emerging talent, while establishing an encouraging foundation for the invitational’s place on the national swimming calendar.