Francis Were Nyangweso (29 September 1939 – 15 February 2011) was a Ugandan

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. He competed in the men's light middleweight event at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

. He later went on to work in sports administration in Uganda, as well as becoming a general in the Ugandan Army, before being caught up in a bribery scandal at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Biography

Nyangweso was born in Busia, Uganda in 1939. He was the captain of Uganda's national boxing team from 1955 to 1962. At the

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Nyangweso competed in the men's light middleweight event. He lost in the second round of the competition to

Wilbert McClure Wilbert McClure (October 29, 1938 – August 6, 2020) was an American professional boxer. As an amateur he won gold medals in the light middleweight division at the 1959 Pan American Games and the 1960 Olympics. As a professional he competed f ...

of the United States, with McClure going on to win the gold medal. Despite his defeat at the Olympics, Nyangweso won the gold medal at the Hapoel Games in 1961, and a bronze medal at the

1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North ...

. In 1963, Nyangweso graduated from military school and became a general in the Ugandan Army. Eight years later,

Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...

appointed Nyangweso to the post of Army Commander and Chief of Staff. Under Amin's dictatorship, Nyangweso was the acting Head of State for a short time in 1975 while Amin was on holiday. Nyangweso was the team manager for Uganda's boxing team at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

, and Uganda's chef de mission for the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

and the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

. He then moved up to be the Ugandan Boxing Federation's President for two spells from 1967 to 1972 and from 1979 to 1995. Nyangweso was also the President of the

African Boxing Confederation The International Boxing Association (IBA), previously known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), is a sports organization that sanctions amateur boxing, amateur and professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate ...

from 1974 to 1978. After serving on the board of the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur from 1981 to 1986, Nyangweso served as their Vice-President from 1986 to 2006. At Olympic level, Nyangweso was the Vice-President of the

Association of National Olympic Committees The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) is an international organization that affiliates the current 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Every two years, it gathers all it ...

from 1999 to 2001, as well as the President of the

Uganda Olympic Committee The Uganda Olympic Committee (IOC code: UGA) is the National Olympic Committee representing Uganda. It was created in 1950 and officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee in 1956. Presidents of Committee * 1950–1958 – Richar ...

from 1971 to 2009. In 1999, Nyangweso was caught up in an Olympic bribery scandal, but was later cleared following an investigation. He died in February 2011 in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

, aged 71.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nyangweso, Frank 1939 births 2011 deaths Ugandan male boxers Olympic boxers for Uganda Boxers at the 1960 Summer Olympics People from Busia District, Uganda Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Uganda Boxers at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Light-middleweight boxers Culture ministers of Uganda Defense ministers of Uganda Medallists at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Sportspeople from Eastern Region, Uganda Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in boxing