Nation embraces new sports
Tour du Rwanda: The most beautiful race in the world
Motorsport in Rwanda
Umurenge Kagame Cup: taking sports to the grassroots
Eye on sporting glory
Rwanda Special report
SECTOR OVERVIEW
Rwanda’s eye on sporting glory Every Friday in Rwanda, most offices close up and instead of sitting behind computer consoles, the staff head into what has developed into a national corporate culture: the Friday afternoon sports break. Here, Rwandans from all walks of life run, walk, cycle, play tennis, squash and more for fun and fitness. The idea behind the sporting activity is to improve health but the element of socialisation is strong.
President Paul Kagame Launches the Giants of Africa Basketball Court | Kigali , 08 August 2017
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ut Rwanda wants more. It wants to transform itself from a country with a lively sporting culture but relatively limited sports achievements to becoming a respected leader in the sports arena; a country that wins Olympic gold. The Minister of Sports and Culture (MINISPOC), Julienne Uwacu says Rwanda is inspired by countries like Cuba, which has a similar population size but was able to attain sports greatness over a few years. Rwanda seeks to harness the peoples’ natural love for sports into a competitive advantage that will transform the country into a powerhouse of elite sporting over the coming years. To achieve this, various measures have been place ranging from overhauling the sports policy framework, investing in sports infrastructure countrywide and improving capacity of sports trainers and practitioners.
Choosing the right sports policies
In 2013, the Rwanda National Sports Development Policy was adopted after thorough review of the sports industry that identified key challenges to sports development and appropriate strategies overcome them. Among the policy’s objectives were: to build sports infrastructure, strengthen the administrative and management capacity of the different sporting bodies to be able to sustain sports development programs, develop a framework that promotes identification and nurturing of sports talent, as well as strengthening the collaborative relationship with private sector to support development of the sector. Further reforms have since been made in the area of regulation to reflect the country’s commitment to professionalization of the sector. Published in the official gazette on August 03, 2017, Law no. 32/2017, which replaced the former law that dates back to 1987, was developed with the latest international sports standards in mind. Minister Uwacu says that the new law corroborates with other policies governing sports in Rwanda which, if faithfully implemented, could lay the ground for nurturing a crop of internationally competitive professional players in the next 20-30 years.
Investing in world class infrastructure
Several facilities have been put in place, both to enable increased sports participation, and to boost the country’s ability to host international events. These include construction of eight stadiums and upgrading of two more, building a world-class Cricket stadium at Gahanga, the Africa Rising Cycling center in Musanze District, and Rwanda’s first ever internationally recognised volleyball gymnasium in Gisagara District. Other infrastructure includes the Gicumbi district High-Performance Athletics Training Center. These efforts are already bearing fruit, as increased and improved sports facilities made Rwanda eligible to successfully host regional
Rwanda Sports and Culture minister, Julienne Uwacu
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training centers have been put in place to further develop sports talents in Volleyball, Basketball, Handball, Football and Athletics, Karate and Taekwondo
and continental competitions including Zone V Basketball and Volleyball, Handball, Football competitions, U-17 in 2011 and the African Nations Championship (CHAN) held in 2016. Rwanda also successfully hosted different editions of the increasingly popular Tour du Rwanda cycling competition, among others.
Developing sports talent
Critical to the development of the profession sports sector has been the presence of mechanisms to spot and nurture budding talent. In this direction, Rwanda has so far established over 20 Centers of excellence in high schools to nurture identified talents in different sports disciplines. Also, 150 training centers have been put in place to further develop sports talents in Volleyball, Basketball, Handball, Football and Athletics, Karate and Taekwondo. “There are so many young Rwandans who can make their mark on the international arena and become globally respected icons if they are identified and groomed from a tender age. We are trying to achieve this in all kinds of games, including cycling, swimming, football, taekwondo,
karate, volleyball, basketball, Triathlon, athletics, cricket, among others,” says Emmanuel Bugingo, the Sports Director, Ministry of Sports and Culture (MINISPOC).
Ensuring qualified sports managers Over the past seven years, 998 coaches, 597 Referees, 95 Medical Staff, 99 Officials (commissioners) and 3 Mental preparation specialists have received training in different fields related to sport management. MINISPOC also actively supports development of governing sports associations in the country, whether financially or otherwise. Even with all these investments in place, Bugingo stresses that Rwanda’s sports sector still has a lot of untapped potential and provides a very fertile ground for investment. “Investment in sports and related activities is still low in Rwanda compared to other countries. There’s a lot of opportunity here,” he says, adding that the country’s sports fan base is steadily growing as evidenced in the extraordinary turn up in sports theatres and stadiums countrywide.
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Gahanga Cricket Stadium under construction
Sports infrastructure In a bid to boost overall sports participation and capability, the government of Rwanda is investing in increasing the number and quality of sports facilities countrywide. According to Gaspard Kayijuka, the in-charge for Sports infrastructure at the Ministry of Sports and Culture (MINISPOC), sports infrastructure development is targeted first and foremost towards creating spaces for the community to enjoy and participate in sports.
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here are so many sports activities that would have been enjoyed by the whole community, but the facilities are lacking,” he observes. Among an array of measures aimed at tackling this problem, the city Masterplan now requires project contractors to include space for sporting activities, whether in residential or commercial projects, while in the recent years Ministry of Education has also passed a regulation that
obliges all school construction to reserve a space for playground, Kayijuka says. “The monthly Car Free Day, when the city centre is free from cars as Rwandans engage in sports, is another innovation to create much needed space for sports activities.” Besides policy initiatives like those outlined above, Rwanda has invested heavily in developing world-class physical sports infrastructure that meets international standards. Among these are:
Huye stadium The 10,000-seater stadium is the second biggest sporting ground in the country after Amahoro National Stadium. Decorated in national colours, the multi-use sports arena was completed in early 2016, just in time for the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) that were hosted that same year by Rwanda.
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Huye stadium
Gahanga Cricket stadium
Slated for completion in October, 2017, Gahanga Cricket Stadium will be the first dedicated international cricket ground in Rwanda. The 10,000-seater will boast an eye-popping design, quality turf pitch and ample practice facilities aimed at supporting growth of ‘the Gentleman’s Sport” in Rwanda. The 950m Rwf cricket ground is being constructed on a 4.5-hectare site in Gahanga by the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation, a Rwanda- and UK-registered NGO, and will be run on a profit basis. The project counts among its patrons such prominent personalities as Cricket legend, Brian Lara; Heather Knight, Captain of England’s Women’s Cricket team; and former British Minister David Cameron among others.
Africa Rising Cycling Centre
Since its inauguration in 2014, the Africa Rising Cycling Centre (ARCC), which sits at 2000 metres above sea level in Musanze, has established itself as a hub for Africa’s rapidly growing interest in Cycling. The centre comprises accommodation facilities, a fully equipped service course, an education center, bikes for rent, a state of art garage with the latest bike repair technologies, including the only carbon fiber
Gisagara Volleyball Gymnasium welding technology on the continent and USA-certified mechanics. The ARCC was inaugurated with the joint cooperation of the Rwanda Cycling Team, the Rwanda Cycling Federation (FERWACY) and the Ministry of Sports and Culture of Rwanda (MINISPOC), and is accredited by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
Gisagara Gymnasium
Gisagara Gymnasium is the first internationally recognised volleyball gymnasium
in Rwanda, with a capacity of 1200persons. The facility, which cost 921m Rwf is home to national champions, Gisagara Volleyball Club, and can also host Basketball, Sit ball and Sitting Volleyball. Construction of the gymnasium was funded by Gisagara District. President Paul Kagame’s government has also pledged to construct stadiums in secondary cities like Ngoma, Bugesera and Nyagatare, while more private investment in sports infrastructure is expected in the near future.
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Rwanda's Women Sitting Volleyball Team won gold
Nation embraces new sports
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ports in Rwanda has historically meant football and athletics and the occasional volleyball, tennis, and squash. That is changing as people new avenues for fun, hobbies, and career. There is now growing interest in cricket, motorsport, cycling, taekwondo, beach volleyball, and parasports for people with disabilities.
The focus on new sports and both individual and national level is driven by the desire to excel as a nation and not to be left behind at individual level. Rwanda’s professional sportsmen and women are aspiring to excel in all sports at the highest level of completion. The sense that no man, woman, or child is left behind is now a lived reality.
ParaVolleyball Rwanda’s stature as a paravolleyball playing nation was cemented when it hosted the 2017 ParaVolley Africa Sitting Volleyball Championships. The cherry on the cake was Rwandan women’s team clinching gold and the men’s team silver. Paravolleyball, also known as sitting volleyball is volleyball for people with disability. It grew impressively in just four years starting in 2013 according to Adalbert Mfashimana, Secretary General Rwanda Volley Ball Federation. In 2016, the women’s national team represented Rwanda in the U-16 Commonwealth Paralympic games that were held in the USA, and emerged 3rd on the global stage.
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10,000 Rwandans are actively engaged in playing the sport.
Motorsport
The Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally is one of the most prestigious motorsport events in the East African region. It is an amazing achievement considering that although Rwanda’s first motor rally was held in 1967, the sport had a limited fan base, with many considering it a foreigners sport. However, developments over the past two decades have seen the sport grow in popularity with both fans and drivers.
Beach Volleyball
Cricket
Eric Dusingizimana, the captain of the national men’s team pushed Rwanda cricket to world attention in 2016 when he set a new Guiness World Record for the longest time spent batting in the net. The seasoned player batted for 51 hours straight, in a bid to raise funds for the country’s first cricket stadium. The world record for the longest net session in women’s history of the sport- 26 hours straight batting- is also held by a Rwandan cricketer, Cathia Uwamahoro. Soon construction of the new cricket stadium started for the facility scheduled to be launched in October 2017. By then cricket had become one of the fastest growing sports in Rwanda in terms of popularity. Relatively ‘young’ compared to other sports, Cricket was introduced to the country by former refugees returning home from countries like Uganda after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Today, about
While the sport of Volleyball has long been favoured by Rwandans, Beach Volleyball was not always pursued in the professional sense. The game caught peoples’ attention when the Rwandan duo of Denyse Mutatsimpundu and Charlotte Nzayisenga beat Morocco to take the gold at the 2017 CAVB Beach Volleyball Cup in Maputo, Mozambique. After that taste of success, beach volleyball was soon getting ambitious plans by the sport’s new executive, including a vision to construct a gymnasium in each district of Rwanda. The idea is to increase youth participation in the volleyball as part of a long term strategy to develop the sport.
Cycling
Rwanda has a vibrant cycling scene which boasts the Tour du Rwanda as its crown. Created in 1988, the tour is a cycling stage race, and among the top three cycling tour on the African continent. It attracts world class riders from far afield as USA, Belgium, Canada, France, Kenya, South Africa, Eritrea and more. The Tour du Rwanda, however, is exceptionally spectacular in the manner it has been embraced by the locals. Every year, hundreds of thousands of fans across the country leave their fields and files for a few hours a day to watch and cheer tens of participating cyclists in the Tour du Rwanda as they whizz through their towns. This interest is but testimony to the ever-
growing status of cycling as a crowd puller. Whereas the Tour du Rwanda is its signature event, the race is part of a vibrant Cycling scene in Rwanda that is increasingly attracting sponsors and fans to the sport.
Taekwondo
Established officially in 2011, taekwondo is one of the youngest sports in Rwanda; and yet, already, the sport has produced a number of champions, male, female and disabled; and Rwanda has established itself as a regional powerhouse in the sport. In the 2017 Korean Ambassador’s Cup held in Kigali, Rwanda finished top of the National Team table ahead of Uganda and Kenya, who took silver and bronze medals respectively. The competition attracted eight teams. Meanwhile, in April 2017 Rwanda’s Para Taekwondo player Jean Claude Niringiyimana was declared Allianz Athlete of the month by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) following his outstanding performance in the Africa-Para Taekwondo Open that had been held in Kigali the previous month. Also, the 2017 Rwanda’s Gorilla International Taekwondo Open was officially added to the World Taekwondo Federation’s calendar of annual international competitions, making it the first taekwondo championship in sub-Saharan Africa to gain recognition from the sport’s international body.
Triathlon
No list of emerging sports in Rwanda is complete that does not mention the Triathlon, a game which, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Despite being less than five years old in Rwanda, the sport has enjoyed tremendous growth, with several triathlon events being held within that time. The Rwanda Triathlon Federation (RTF) is looking at ways to leverage the sport to promote tourism industry in the country. Also gaining currency are other sports like Weight lifting, swimming, and paravolley.
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Tour du Rwanda: The most beautiful race in the world It has been billed one of the most beautiful cycling routes in the world. As if to make up for its famously gruelling terrain, Tour du Rwanda, arguably the crown jewel of Rwanda’s cycling renaissance, serves up a visual feast of spectacular scenery as the cyclists zap through breathtaking stretches in The Land of a Thousand Hills.
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ut for many athletes and cycling enthusiasts world over, the most attractive thing about the race is the sight of hundreds of thousands of delirious fans who line the route regardless of weather, cheering the participants on, in the most highly anticipated sports event on Rwanda’s calendar. In the Tour du Rwanda, the peloton tackle a challenging 819-kilometre course on what is generally considered the toughest race on the continent. The participants are drawn from teams from Rwanda and the rest of the world. In 2015 Valens Ndayisenga became the first Rwandan to win the revamped Tour du Rwanda when he crossed the finish line ahead of the
foreign athletes who had dominated the races in the past, a feat the 23-year old repeated in 2016. Team Rwanda counts among its biggest fans H.E. President Paul Kagame who in 2015 donated to the team 18 Pinarello Dogma F8 carbon race bikes and 8 training bikes, each valued at USD 10,000. The state-of-the-art race bike is favoured by top cyclists around the world for its power and efficiency, and has severally won the Tour de France, the World Championship and hundreds of Pro Tour races. Currently rated 2.2 by the UCI, Tour du Rwanda is slated to be upgraded to a 2.1 race by 2019, a move that is expected to attract even more big-name competitors.
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Motorsport in Rwanda Celebrated by passionate fans world over for its adrenaline-inducing displays of speed and technique, Motorsport is enjoying a golden revival in Rwanda after a long checkered past.
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wanda’s motorsport’s first rally was held in Rwanda in 1967 but, like all other sports, the sport was brought to its knees by the devastation resulting from the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. In 1999, the game was revived, with the initial run of the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally that began as a crossborder rally starting in neighbouring Uganda before finishing in Kigali. The rally became part of the African championship the following year, restoring a Rwandan presence to the African championship absent since 1988. However, the sport still faced a challenge of developing an indigenous base of both fans and participants. “Until this time, Motorsports was
considered a game for foreigners. It was after this that we begin to see many locals taking part in the sport,” says Christian Gakwaya, Chairman of the Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC). At the start, the event had no qualified organisers since there was no training. However, today it boasts several highly qualified drivers who can hold their own even at the international level.
According to the RAC website, motor sport contributes significantly to a nation’s growth by fostering a sense of social cohesion, identity, belonging and a spirit of equality. It also promotes the viability of volunteerism and increased participation as its cornerstone. The club runs the annual national Rally championship that brings thousands of fans together.
Rwanda Automobile Club
Boosting Popularity
The Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC) is the official regulatory body for motorsport as recognized by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). It is also a member of the Rwanda National Olympic Committee and reports directly to the ministry of sports and culture.
Gakwaya says the Club has instituted measures to increase the popularity and reach of motorsport countrywide. “We carry out training for children starting from the age of 12 in carting nationally as a means to stimulate interest and identify young talent. The motor sport community in Rwanda
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conducts seven rallies a year and four Autotests (a discipline where common drivers come with their cars and are trained to become motor sport drivers),” Gakwaya says. The club is actively seeking partnerships both with sponsors and other organisations to take the sport to the next level. “Right now we have built a partnership with Akagera Aviation to enable us take aerial footage of the rallies so that they can be broadcast even clearer on television.” The RAC President believes more can be done for the sport than only rallying. The future of motor sport in Rwanda is not in rally alone, but will include a multi-disciplined approach across the country to position Rwanda on the global stage with wellorganized events aimed at attracting top international players. We also want to develop more qualified officials in the sport.”
Rwanda Motorsport Timeline This year’s Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally was won by the Kenyan driver Manvir Baryan with a time of 1h:47:06 followed by Giancarlo Davite at 1h:51:40. It was the Kenyan’s third consecutive victory of the 2017 African Rally Championship (ARC), which all but handed him the continental title.
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2005 Eric Nzamwita becomes the first Rwandan driver to win the motorsport championship with his Navigator Twizeyimana in their Toyota CELICA 4WD.
2002 Fraternity Rally is renamed Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally –5th event in the FIA African Championship 2003.
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1999 First motor rally run in Rwanda after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi as a part of the African Championship
The new Committee of the Rwanda Automobile Club recognised by H.E. President Paul Kagame, who gives his High Patronage to the 3rd edition of the “Fraternity Rally”.
1967 First rally held in Rwanda, organized by Mr. Faarup and Vandijk in collaboration with the Round Table.
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Kigali Peace marathon Milestone in promoting peace and unity through sports
Since its first edition in 2005, the Kigali International Peace marathon has grown to become one of the biggest celebrations of peace in Rwanda. The marathon, which was inaugurated by President Paul Kagame, is traditionally scheduled to fall within the country’s 100-day remembrance period of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi. It is also the only marathon worldwide that is organised under the theme of peace.
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ccording to Emmanuel Bugingo, Sports Director, Ministry of Sports and Culture (MINISPOC), the marathon and other sports activities like the ‘Tour du Rwanda’ are doing wonders in promoting the reconciliation process. He says sports plays a key role in helping Rwandans cooperate and overcome the former ethnic demarcations and hatred in the interest of achieving common national goals. “We actively cultivate the quality of sportsmanship, which consists of playing fairly and according to the rules of the game; and accepting defeat when you lose. This way, players learn to control their temper, a skill that can help them deal with other conflicts that may arise,” he says. Every day today, sports plays a significant role in the development of Rwanda’s communities; it brings people together to interact, play, and engage in the conversations that build social harmony. Not only that but also impacting positively on the social development and economic sustainability by empowering people and teaching leadership and citizenship skills while inculcating cooperation toward shared goals as they make inequalities in gender race and disabilities disappear and as a means to educate young people against anti-social behavior. In this way, the country achieves success in using sports as an avenue to promote peace and harmony after the devastation of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Gervais Munyanziza, a National Team Specialist at MINISPOC also cites the various memorial tournaments organised within the 100 days of remembrance, particularly that in the remembrance of the scribes, sportsmen, families and fans who lost their lives during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Munyanziza also singles out the monthly Kigali Car Free day, when roads in Kigali are shut down for the first half of the day to allow people to engage in mass sports activities and exercise in the streets, as a vivid contemporary example of sports power to break down social barriers. “It is the one place where you will find people mingling freely regardless of social status; for instance, it is a common occurrence for a minister and an ordinary citizen to chat freely while doing sports during the Car Free Day,” he says.
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Teams face-off in Umurenge Cup.
Umurenge Kagame Cup: taking sports to the grassroots
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or sports-crazy Rwandans, matches involving the national teams or any of the top league clubs are a must-watch. However, increasingly, one of the most unique and exciting tournaments is a grassroots competition called Umurenge Kagame Cup. The competition, which was this year dominated by teams from Rwanda’s western Region, traces its origin to the then-called Good Governance Cup which was begun in 2006 to promote good governance. In a 2010 meeting involving officials from the Ministry of Sports and Culture (MINISPOC) and the Ministry of Local government (MINALOC), the competition was christened “Umurenge Kagame Cup” in recognition of H.E. President Paul Kagame’s leadership both in the areas of governance and in promoting sports development.
The tourney, which brings together members of different local communities to compete in a number of games, is an opportunity for the participants in the sports to utilise and develop their talents and for community members as a whole to mix and mingle, and be entertained. Thus, it is a unique avenue that is used to build social cohesion and unity. In 2014, the Kagame Cup tournament was subdivided into two categories, creating a separate category for schools called “Amashuri Kagame Cup”, which brings together school going children of both sexes, grouped by district, while the “Umurenge Kagame Cup” caters for the general public, grouped by sector. In 2017, the “Amashuri Kagame Cup” featured a variety of sports including: Football, Volley ball, Basketball, Handball, Athletics and Sitting volleyball.
Fans celebrate a win in Umurenge Kagame Cup, in Rwanda's Eastern Region. The grassroots tournament seeks to promote good governance, peace and unity.
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Fans cheer up their teams at the Umurenge Kagame Cup final
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Enjoy a Car Free Day in Kigali The Rwandan capital, Kigali, is normally a hub of heavy traffic. It has the highest concentration of vehicles in the country. But between 7 am and noon of each last Sunday of the month, the city streets a bare of cars. It’s the Car Free Day and time for sports and fun in the city. Walking, jogging, and cycling enthusiasts have a field day as part of the Government of Rwanda policy to encourage healthy living among citizens.
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t all started with the realisation that the lifestyle and habits of Rwandans are changing and some, including living a sedentary life, can potentially lead to increased risk of diseases. To combat Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) like heart failure, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and more associated with a sedentary lifestyle and habits, the Government of Rwanda offers many recommendations for healthy living that are voluntary but a few are enforced by laws and statutes. The government, for example, has as a policy obliging all government officials to do a sporting activity every Friday afternoon. But other activities, including the Car Free Day, are organised at a community-wide level. All Rwandans are required to engage in sport under the country’s Car Free day. The Car Free Day was first marked in Kigali city in 2016. It involves closure to cars of major roads heading into the Central Business District (CBD) to free up streets free for pedestrians and cyclists. Kigali’s City Council partnered with the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) to organise the car free day. The day also has a green transport element as it encourages members of the public to walk and cycle inside of drive. An extension of this drive is the enforcement of permanent Car-Free Zone in part of Kigali’s CBD. Additionally, Gervais Munyanziza, a National Team Specialist at the Ministry of Sports and Culture (MINI-
Car free day is not just a sport activity but rather another community policy that has far reaching positive effects on the wellbeing and reconciliation of Rwandans SPOC), says the car free day is not just a sports activity but rather another community policy that has far reaching positive effects on the wellbeing and reconciliation of Rwandans. “It not only connects people of the same social strata but is a meeting arena for both the rich and poor and top officials and ordinary citizens to discuss challenges affecting them at the grassroots,” he says, “This can sometimes yield into advocacy since officials from the decision making organs are always active in these games.” Besides Kigali, more districts are taking up the Car Free Day concept. It is already a monthly practice in Huye district while Musanze district in the northern province plans to hold its first ever Car Free Day on 21st October 2017.
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Residents receive free medical check-up at the Car Free Day
Cycling for health at the Car Free Day
Physical exercise for health
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Training the trainers of sport Rwanda’s ambition to become an elite sporting superpower in the near future depends in large part on the quality of its sports officials; coaches, instructors, arbitrators and more. This is because they play a crucial role in identifying and grooming young talent, a task that demands a particular skill set.
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owever, the level of technical expertise and exposure for coaches and arbitrators was for many years a missing gap in Rwanda’s sports efforts. This is slowly changing, as both the government and sports federations work together to ensure better training for sports trainers across multiple disciplines. According to the Ministry of Sports and Culture (MINISPOC), 998 coaches, 597 Referees, 95 Medical
Staff, 99 Officials (commissioners) and 3 mental preparation specialists have received training in different fields related to sport management over the past seven years. Still within the national framework, Rwanda has taken a holistic approach to capacity building for the sports sector. Through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education and MINISPOC, a number of sports academies have been established countrywide in a variety of disciplines under the Techni-
Coaches attend a FIFA Physical Fitness Course at Ferwafa. Rwanda is investing in training sports officials in order to boost sports development
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Parasports officials' training.
998 coaches, 597 Referees, 95 Medical Staff, 99 Officials (commissioners) and 3 Mental preparation specialists have received training in different fields related to sport management over
cal and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme. These will identify and train youngsters interested in pursuing sports as professional players and enable the country to groom top-notch coaches and sports administrators in the different disciplines. Placide Bagabo, Executive Secretary of the Taekwondo Ambassadors’ Confederations says that the national sports body has established a player and coach development pathway, which encourages athletes and coaches to gain experience and progress professionally in order to attain their maximum capability. “The key is to help coaches experience continuous growth in technical expertise relative to coaching, refereeing, and player development. There is also enhanced training of officials to develop their capacity to officiate and administer sports activities,” he says. “One way we do this is by attaching officials with external sports organisations; including international sport federations and professional clubs.” For Richard Mutabazi, Secretary General of the Basketball Federation, it is important that capacity building for officials keeps in step with that of the players they are supposed to handle. ““Leaders of federations are doing everything within their means to identify and develop talent in schools, but this needs to be done after training of coaches if it is to result in elite players who can present Rwanda the continental and international stages,” he says.
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Celebrating Rwanda’s young sports achievers
Rwanda has celebrated sports personalities in different disciplines, including a new crop of young achievers who have distinguished themselves with record-setting individual performances.
Cathia Uwamahoro, Cricket
Jean Claude Niringiyimana, Para Taekwondo
23 year-old Cathia Uwamahoro, Captain of the Rwanda Women’s Cricket team, etched her name in history on the 17th of February 2017, when she batted for 26 hours straight to set the Guinness World Record for the longest net session in women’s cricket history. Through her charisma and dedication, Uwamahoro, who lost her father when she was just six months old in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, is inspiring more girls to gain interest in cricket.
He burst onto the world para taekwondo scene in dramatic fashion when he bagged a silver medal in the 2nd edition of Africa-Para Taekwondo Open that was hosted in Kigali in March this year. A first time participant in the games, Niringiyimana impressed with his technique and endurance. In recognition of his efforts, the 24-year old former soldier was declared the International Paralympic Committee’s Allianz Athlete for the month of April after winning 76% of the public vote, making him the first Rwandan to receive the honour.
Valens Ndayisenga, Cycling
Nyirarukundo Salome, Athletics
Valens Ndayisenga is a 23 year-old cyclist who in 2015 set a record by becoming the first Rwandan to win the revamped Tour du Rwanda. The Tirol Cycling Team member, whose power and technique have won the admiration of fans around the world, came first again in 2017 and is ranked 5th in the UCI’s individual elite men Africa Tour Rankings.
At only 20-years old, Salome is the rising star of Rwanda’s long distance athletics field. Earlier this year, she became the first female Rwandan athlete to claim gold in the Kigali International Peace Marathon. She triumphed in a brilliant solo effort that saw her come first in the (21km) half-marathon. This achievement was the latest in a string of victo- ries for the runner who in October 2016 won her second consecutive gold medal at the international semi-marathon inDar Es Salaam, with a time of 1hr 11min 34s.
Eric Dusingizimana, Cricket He is most famous as the man who last year set a world record for the longest time spent batting in the net. The Rwanda national cricket team captain batted for 51 hours straight, with only a few 15 minute breaks for refreshments. However, few know that the 26 year old cricketing hero is also a civil engineer. He also doubles as General Manager for the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation, a charity that aims to build and manage the first dedicated international cricket ground in Rwanda.