Team Rwanda ready to go for the opening ceremony of the African Youth Games on Thursday evening (Photo credit: RNOSC)
A delegation of 68 represented Rwanda at the opening ceremony of the second edition of the African Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana as the entire continent converged to celebrate and compete at the quadrennial continental youth games.
Team captain James Sugira was the flag bearer and led the way as the Rwandan athletes and officials marched around the stadium waving to fans and well wishers before finally taking their seats to witness a colourful opening ceremony that saw the Games officially opened.
Sugira said, “I am so honoured to be carrying the national flag of Rwanda and it gives me so much pleasure that I will be representing Rwanda at these Games.”
This is the first time that Rwanda is taking part in this event which is a qualifier for athletics, basketball and swimming to the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China from August 16-28.
Pastor Charles Karekezi speaking to the participants attending the second session of the three-day conference on AIDS prevention (Photo: RNOSC)
A total of 22 participants are currently attending a three-day conference about AIDS prevention organized by the Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee (RNOSC) in partnership with Churches United Against HIV & AIDS in Eastern and Southern Africa (CUAHA) at Centre d’accuiel St Francois D’Assise in Kigali.
Under the theme ‘Together for AIDS prevention’, the conference is aimed at training sports leaders like administrators, coaches and captains and equipping them with knowledge about the preventive measures of HIV/AIDS.
“It is very important that we teach sportsmen and women about the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Athletes are usually stars in the community who have a lot of money at their exposure and because of this, it gets to their heads and makes them vulnerable. They can easily get involved in the misuse of alcohol, drugs and sex which is bad for them because this can lead to bacterial infections of the deadly virus,” explained Phophina Gashugi, the RNOSC first vice president.
Participants from boxing, fencing, kung-fu, paralympics, rugby, swimming and table tennis make up the list of federations represented at the second session of the CUAHA event.
One of the participants Yves Ndizeye, the technical director of the Rwanda Table Tennis Federation said, “This is very important because it relates sports and HIV/AIDS in particular, how it affects sportsmen. The program also teaches us about God’s word and the use of condoms as the main tools to use to fight against HIV/AIDS.”
The first training was held from April 15-17 with 10 sports federations and associations represented including archery, athletics, cricket, football, handball, karate, physical educators, taekwondo, triathlon and volleyball.
As we mark our 30th anniversary, we would like to welcome you to our new look website.
It is very exciting to have made it through three decades of promoting the Olympic Movement in Rwanda and we are looking forward to a successful future.
From our first participation at the 1984 in Los Angeles, California, United States of America to London 2012, we have attended all the eight adhd in children of the prestigious Summer Olympics.
We are yet to win an Olympic medal, however, we are working on it every day that passes.
Rwanda won a bronze medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece after Jean de Dieu Nkundareba clocked 1:58.95 in the men’s 800m T46 category.
On July 24, 2013, Hermas Cliff Muvunyi became the first Rwanda to win a gold medal at the IPC World Championships in Lyon, France after clocking a personal best 1:54.06 in the men’s 800m T46 category.
It is on the basis of these achievements, therefore that we want to build for more success in the future.
Aaron Taylor Koonce believes visiting Gaborone ahead of the African Youth Games in May 22-31 will give him an advantage
Rwanda’s sole golf representative at the upcoming African Youth Games, Aaron Taylor Koonce has completed a three-day tour of Botswana ahead of the quedrennial event due May 22-31.
The 17 year old Koonce trained for a total of 20 hours at the Gaborone Golf Club during his stay in Gaborone, the host city of the African Youth Games.
The excited and anxious Koonce revealed that, “The course is flatter than the one in Kigali and the greens are faster and some of the holes are longer but it is very playable.”
Koonce who is a handicap 8 enjoyed the 18-hole course that he described as beautiful and positioned at a good location for the tournament and described the trees as being shorter.
He further added that, “If you happen to be in trouble from a bad shot, it is easier to recover. There is only a few water hazards which is less than the Kigali course so that shoudln’t be much of a problem.”
The Grade 11 student at Kigali International Community School reminisces that playing on the course before the tournament will give him a very big advantage ahead of the three-day (May 26-28) tournament because he knows the distances.
He also defined the bunkers as comprising of dense sand which means that, “I have to take a lower lofty club than I am used to, to get out of the bunkers but that shouldn’t be a problem. It is a minor adjustment.
Koonce is hopeful to finish with a medal for Rwanda but he knows that the competition from Zambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe will be tough as these are the strongest African nations in golf.
Golf is one of the 12 sporting disciplines that will represent Rwanda in Gaborone with the total number of athletes being 49 – 29 female and 20 male competing in athletics, basketball, boxing, cycling, fencing, karate, lawn tennis, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and volleyball.
This is the first time that Rwanda will be competing at the continental youth event which will be a qualifying event for athletics, basketball and swimming to the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.
