The Rwandan National Olympic and Sports Committee (RNOSC), through its Athletes’ Commission, hosted the Athletes’ Forum 2024 from November 6-7 at the Olympic Hotel in Kigali. This gathering brought together 101 participants including 60 athletes (34 women and 26 men), alongside prominent stakeholders in Rwanda’s Olympic Movement. The forum aimed to empower athletes, providing them a platform to voice their concerns, aspirations, and ideas and strengthen their involvement in decision-making processes.
The forum opened with key members of Rwanda’s Olympic Movement, underscoring the importance of athletes in advancing Olympic values. As they reiterated the organizational structure of the Olympic Movement as well as the Olympic Solidarity Programmes, Jean Claude Rugigana, RNOSC Executive Director, Joseph Kajangwe, RNOSC Secretary General, and Kayiranga Albert, President of the National Olympic Academy, encouraged participants to embrace their pivotal role in the Olympic mission.
The first day featured discussions on safeguarding athletes, led by notable experts. Jean Claude Ntirenganya, a crime prevention specialist from the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), highlighted measures to protect athletes from harassment and abuse. Mr. Ntirenganya emphasized that the sport sector is not as immune to crime just like anywhere else, shedding light on particular ones such as match-fixing, bribery, doping, assault and more.
In a practical session, Mugabe Aristide, President of the RNOSC Athlete Commission, introduced the Athlete365 Learning Platform, which equips athletes with tools for personal development, career transitions, and life skills. The session also provided guidance on how to open accounts on this platform, allowing the athletes to immediately access available opportunities.
Athletes actively contributed to the conversation, sharing their perspectives and reaffirming their commitment to report incidents of harassment and abuse. This open dialogue emphasized collective responsibility in fostering a safe sporting environment.
The second day delved into key themes of mental health, anti-doping, competition integrity, and gender inclusivity. Clinical psychologist Dr. Patrick Rwagatare led a session on mental health strategies, equipping athletes with practical tools to manage stress and maintain emotional balance. Meanwhile, Dr. Nuhu Assuman, from the RNOSC Medical and Anti-Doping Commission, stressed the importance of ethical responsibility and compliance with anti-doping regulations towards fair competition and true sportsmanship.
A virtual session by Laura Valle of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) explored competition manipulation prevention, promoting a culture of fairness. A highlight of the day was an inspiring talk by Rwemarika Felicite, IOC Member, and gender equality advocate. With a practical example of the Paris 2024 Games where women comprised 62.5% of Rwanda’s Olympic team, she called on athletes to champion inclusivity and representation in their respective disciplines.
The forum featured an interactive Q&A session with RNOSC Acting President Umulinga Alice, providing athletes the opportunity to express their concerns and aspirations directly. She emphasized RNOSC’s commitment to fostering collaboration and encouraged participants to share the forum’s insights with their peers.
The forum concluded with reflections from Umulinga Alice, Acting RNOSC President, and Rwego Ngarambe, Director General of Sports Development at MINISPORTS. Both leaders emphasized the importance of empowering athletes and fostering collaboration to shape the future of sports in Rwanda.
The RNOSC plans to sustain the forum’s momentum through follow-up initiatives informed by athlete feedback. This year’s event reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to transparency, collaboration, and integrity in sports, setting the foundation for an inclusive and empowered athletic community in Rwanda.
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