Mbale – Telecom giant, MTN Uganda has given the world 5,000-meter record holder, IP Joshua Cheptegei a boost to a tune of UGX123.56M and other special goodies.
One of Uganda’s most decorated athlete, IP Joshua Cheptegei’ broke the world 5,000-meter record; ending Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele’s 16-year world mark.
MTN has on top of the money also offered the athlete with 12GB of data and 35 voice minutes and 36 SMS every month for a year.
“In recognition of this milestone, MTN Uganda has offered a cash prize of UGX 123, 536,000 and a telecommunication package of 12GB of data, 35 voice minutes and 36 SMS per month for twelve months,” said MTN CEO Wim Vanhelleputte.
The cash and communication offer are all symbolic of the 12 minutes 35.36-time Cheptegei set in.
MTN CEO Wim Vanhelleputte was this Thursday morning full of tribute at the brief function in Mbale.
“In sport, recognizing and rewarding milestones is widely accepted as an essential motivation in getting athletes to reach their peak potential,” Vanhelleputte said.
Vanhelleputte added: “And so, as Joshua continues to take on other sporting challenges, Uganda ought to recognize and celebrate this remarkable achievement.”
Cheptegei broke the record last month in the Diamond League in Monaco. He will be going for the 10,000m record in 13 days when he returns to the same series in Valencia, Spain.
Cheptegei continues to shatter new records thereby standing out as Uganda’s greatest athlete ever.
In February he broke the 5-kilometer road mark in Monaco shortly after also breaking the 10 and 15km road records.
In a very successful 2019 season, he started with a senior world cross-country gold medal before the 5000 Diamond League title and 10000m world gold.
He was a candidate for the 2019 world athlete of the year but inexplicably lost to Kenya’s marathon star Eliud Kipchoge.
Uganda Athletics Federation president Domenic Otucet thanked MTN for their continued support.
The telecom company annually sponsors UAF’s calendar, with a huge chunk of funding going to the MTN marathon.
The support has brought forth icons like World and Olympic marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich.
Others are reigning women’s world 800m champion Halima Nakaayi, 2017 world junior cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo and Uganda’s first world athletics champion Dorcus Inzikuru.
MTN Uganda is a fervent supporter of sport in the country and has over the years backed various disciplines including football, basketball, golf.
Launched in Uganda in 1998, MTN Uganda is the leading communication operator, offering mobile and fixed telecommunications, mobile money, and internet services. By 2018 it had 11.2 million subscribers.
