A notable fan of all Ugandan sports, Former President Idi Amin was very athletic during his time in the army.

At 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) tall, he was the Ugandan light heavyweight boxing champion from 1951 to 1960, and also a swimmer and rugby player.

Amin also said in one of his speeches, Although on an official evaluation one of his officers once wrote of him: There is a frequently repeated urban legend[6][7] that he was selected as a replacement by East Africa for their match against the 1955 British Lions.

Originally Uganda, along with Tanzania and Kenya was represented by the East Africa rugby union team.

The main national competition of Uganda rugby is Nile Special Premier League, currently disputed by 10 teams.