KAMPALA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Confucius Institute at Makerere University, Uganda's top university, held the 19th "Chinese Bridge" speech competition online on Saturday -- its first ever to be held virtually with COVID-19 restrictions in place.

Gilbert Gumoshabe, the director of the institute, said this year's competition comes with challenges of restricted physical interaction.

"We missed training the competitors face to face and we shall miss seeing them physically, though we shall still see them anyway via this online platform," Gumoshabe said before the competition started.

The competition presents yet another opportunity for the candidates to showcase their skills at and understanding of the Chinese language and culture, he said.

Chen Huixin, deputy Chinese ambassador to Uganda, lauded the participants and expressed amazement at "this magical show, especially their love for the Chinese language and knowledge."

The fact that many speakers talked about solidarity between China and Uganda during the competition reflects the deep brotherhood between the two countries, Chen said.

The competition was won by Marvin Ogwal, a student from Kyambogo University. Enditem