SARAH ADONG
“My message to women is that they must be ready for challenges, be resilient, and serve with passion.”
Meet Sarah Adong, a sports administrator, journalist, and politician. She developed a love for sport through watching football and rugby in Uganda. Sarah believes women can thrive in sport and break the patriarchal chain.
“As a child, I was a runner and played a little volleyball. Unfortunately I went to schools that didn’t give girls the opportunity to play football and rugby.”
“After university, I chose a career in sports journalism and administration to fulfil my dream of contributing to the industry. From 2018, I have risen through the ranks of administration in football and Rugby.
Seeing women in sports administration progressing in their careers here in Uganda has motivated me in my career.
Furthermore, I have been able to see women working in sport receive accolades and awards which has been inspiring. I am driven by working to break the barriers in women’s sport and challenge the negative sentiments against women’s sports.
I think there has been some improvement in the representation of women’s sports in the media, however, there is still a lot of work to be done. Where there are key events, in most cases, the media prefers to prioritise the men in sports.
A positive example of women’s sports in the media is Newvision which has a special day in the week dedicated to women’s stories. Some television channels have also tried their best to broadcast women’s sports but we need equal time dedicated to women’s and men’s sports. Most media houses don’t give enough time and details when it comes to analysing and presenting women’s sport stories.”
“My message to women is that they must be ready for challenges, be resilient, and serve with passion.”
“Women must be prepared to enter a challenging industry and build allies to help them thrive in the sector. I have broken many barriers such as sexual harassment, violence against women in sports and discrimination. All of these challenges have motivated me to up my game and keep improving.”
