Michael Ezra shares a light moment with Kipsiro. File photo

In a dramatic twist back in June 16, 2003, flamboyant businessman Michael Ezra made a resounding return to Ugandan athletics, pledging to inject a staggering $1 million (about sh3.5bn) in the build-up to the Athens Olympics.

Just a week earlier, Ezra had shocked the sports fraternity by announcing he was cutting off support for athletics, citing his lack of trust in candidates vying for the Uganda Amateur Athletics Federation (UAAF) presidency. But a visit to his high-altitude training camp in Kapchorwa changed his mind.

“I went to Kapchorwa to close the camp, only to be overwhelmed by the immense interest the project had evoked in the district,” said Ezra, himself a former sprinter.

Instead of shutting it down, the then 29-year-old magnate expanded the initiative, appointing a 13-member board to run the project. It featured education leaders like William Kayongo (Buddo Junior School) and Sam Cheptoris (Sebei College), alongside Kyambogo University’s Rose Kobere.

A technical wing was also unveiled, led by veteran distance coach Johnson Kasajja, Kyambogo lecturer Byaruhanga Kadodooba, Martin Okwir, Josephine Awal, and retired track star Ruth Kyalisiima.

“These are all selfless people with unquestionable backgrounds. I am sure they will ably handle the money,” Ezra said.

His dream was clear: to deliver Uganda a world cross-country gold medal and mount a strong challenge at the Athens Olympics. Beyond that, Ezra quipped, “I can sit back and relax.”

This ambitious $1m pledge dwarfed his initial $100,000 (sh200m) programme and came with a new component—The Ezra Jackpot, whose management he left to the newly appointed board in collaboration with UAAF.