/ By RUGIGANA Jean Claude / News • Uncategorized/ 0 Comments

LAUSANNE 2020 COMPETITION SCHEDULE UNVEILED.

THE OFFICIAL COMPETITION SCHEDULE OF THE LAUSANNE 2020 WINTER YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES WAS RELEASED BY THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE. WITH THE FIRST COMPETITIONS KICKING OFF IN LES DIABLERETS, VILLARS AND LAUSANNE ON JANUARY 10TH, 2020, THE DAY AFTER THE OPENING CEREMONY IN LAUSANNE AND CONTINUING UNTIL THE CLOSING CEREMONY ON JANUARY 22ND.

The schedule is out and promises to be intense. Overall, a total of 81 competitions will be held at eight different sites over the 13 days following the Opening Ceremony. One of the main features of Lausanne 2020 will be its two-wave organisation system, an innovative solution designed to significantly increase hosting capacity by allowing each “wave” of athletes to have a shorter stay on-site. As a result, a grand total of 1880 athletes, of which a gender equal representation of 940 males and 940 females are expected to take part in the Games, allowing for exemplary diversity and a high quality of competitions.

Virginie Faivre, President of Lausanne 2020: “As an athlete, this is when it all starts to feel real. Knowing the date, the time and the place of each competition brings an indescribable feeling of excitement.  The countdown starts now and the next few months of training will be decisive. I can only wish all the young athletes and their teams the best of luck in these last moments of preparation. They can count on the amazing work of Lausanne 2020’s staff and volunteers to make these Games incredible and a memory which they will treasure forever.”

The first wave of competitions will kick-off with alpine skiing in Les Diablerets, biathlon in Les Tuffes and ski mountaineering, which will be making its debut in the Olympic Games, in Villars. Lausanne will be the host of figure skating and mixed NOC 3-on-3 ice hockey, a new competition format proposed and developed by the International Ice Hockey Federation and Lausanne 2020. This first wave of competitions will also be marked by four days of speed skating on the frozen lake of St-Moritz.

January 16th will ring the transition to the second wave of competitions and young athletes. St-Moritz’s historic natural Olympia Bob Run will host its first luge, bobsleigh and skeleton Olympic competitions since 1948. The French station of Les Tuffes will welcome ski testosterone and Nordic combined, while its Swiss neighbour, Vallée de Joux, will host cross-country skiing. Freestyle skiing and snowboard will take place in Villars and Leysin.  As for Lausanne, it will stage five days of 6-team tournaments in ice hockey and the short track speed skating competitions.

Curling will run across the whole Games Time, taking place in Champéry from January 10th to 22nd. The Games will come to an end with the Closing Ceremony to be held at the Medals Plaza, in Lausanne, on January 22nd.

Simone Righenzi, Head of Sports of Lausanne 2020: “This competition schedule is a labour of love that is three years in the making, and we have design it in the best way possible to meet the needs of every stakeholder. We are incredibly proud of the work that has been done and now that the schedule has been revealed to the public, we are looking forward to activating each competition site during Games time. We hope that audiences at home in Switzerland and abroad will enjoy the competitions and that these young athletes will be inspired to write an unforgettable page of their career.”

Lausanne 2020 is proud to be able to offer all sports competitions free of charge.  In line with its commitment to sustainability, Lausanne 2020 encourages all visitors to opt for public transport to access the venues.

For the detailed competition schedule, please click here.

Source: IOC Media

/ By RUGIGANA Jean Claude / Commonwealth Games • News • Rwanda CGA • Rwanda CGA/ 0 Comments

H.E Paul Kagame invites world leaders for CHOGM 2020.

President Paul Kagame on Tuesday officially invited world leaders to the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which will be hosted in Rwanda in June next year.

In a video message, President Paul Kagame and Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland announced that CHOGM 2020 will be held at the Kigali Convention Centre during the week starting June 22, around the theme ‘Delivering A Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming’.

President Kagame said it will be a great pleasure to welcome leaders of the Commonwealth when they gather in Kigali, highlighting that Rwanda will work hard to make everybody feel Rwanda is an extension of their home.

Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent and equal sovereign states and all Heads of State for these countries are expected to attend.

Kagame particularly indicated that the unique tenor of the CHOGM 2020 will be the focus on youth empowerment, especially through leveraging technology.

“The distinctive aspect of CHOGM 2020 will be connectivity including what young people can do with technology to create vibrant societies and develop our economies,” he noted in a video posted on Tuesday evening.

The Head of State made case for the youth and argued that it was important to look at them as an important and productive asset to transform economies across the world.

“There is no way we can see our young people as a liability. For a very clear reason, they are a huge asset and opportunity. Seeing them as liability would be a failure on our part,” he noted.

Creating the kind of environment that adds a lot of value to this asset of young people, he added, would be done through the provision of skills, access to technology and having them get involved more in value chains across the world.

According to the statement from the Secretariat, five sub-themes have been identified for discussion: Governance and Rule of Law, ICT & Innovation, Youth, Environment, and Trade.

The Commonwealth is a political organization most of whom are former colonies of Britain.

Rwanda, which joined the grouping in November 2009, is one of only two Commonwealth member countries with no colonial ties with the United Kingdom – the other being Mozambique.

The Commonwealth is home to 2.4 billion people and includes both advanced economies and developing countries.

Building on progress since CHOGM 2018 in London, leaders are expected to discuss ways the contemporary Commonwealth can transform societies, in accordance with Commonwealth Charter values of democracy, multilateralism, sustainable development, and empowerment of women and youth.

Secretary-General Scotland stated: “I think the youth demographic we have now is a real opportunity.  It’s going to be a very exciting chance for us to enable our young people to develop and deploy the skills they need so they can fulfil their potential.

“By connecting, innovating and transforming, the Commonwealth opens up scope for mobilising the talent of people of all ages and backgrounds.”

As well as the meeting of heads of government, the week will include a meeting of foreign ministers and forums to engage young people, civil society, women and the business community.

Earlier this year, Foreign Affairs minister Dr Richard Sezibera had reiterated Rwanda’s readiness to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2020.

A package of Rwf8 billion had been set aside to host the summit.

//Content of The New Times.

/ By RUGIGANA Jean Claude / News/ 0 Comments

Sitting volleyball: Rwanda secure ticket to Tokyo 2020.

RWANDA’s women sitting volleyball team has sealed their slot at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, in Japan, after beating Egypt to win the African championships on Tuesday.

Rwanda’s Female Sitting Volleyball Team celebrating after receiving the trophy/Photo: Ngendahimana Samuel-The New Times.

As was the case during the quadrennial event’s 2016 edition in Brazil, Rwanda will be the sole African team in women’s sitting volleyball at the Games.

In the match which took place at Amahoro Indoor Stadium, Rwanda fought back to win the thrilling game in four sets after losing the opening set 25-22.

Coached by Egypt-born tactician Mosaad Rashad Elaiuty, the Rwandan side quickly regrouped to go level 1-1 with a hard-fought 28-26 second set. The hosts went on to dominate the third set 25-15 before putting the game to bed with another effortless 25-18 fourth set.

Rwanda retained the African championships title for a third consecutive time – after 2015 and 2017 – with a perfect 5:5 win ratio, having beaten Kenya and Egypt twice each in the preliminaries on Sunday and Monday.

In a post-match interview, visibly excited skipper Lillian Mukobwankabo said, “We are very happy to be African champions again, and to seal our ticket to the Paralympics.”

“This is a glorious moment for everyone on the team.”

Meanwhile, the men’s team begin their quest for a ticket to Tokyo 2020 on Thursday when they face Kenya in the opener of the men’s tournament, which will run through September 22 at Amahoro Stadium.

Rwanda has been placed in the same pool as Kenya and Morocco, while the other group comprises Egypt, South Africa, and Algeria.

The hosts, Rwanda, and Egypt are widely seen as the top challengers for Africa’s sole ticket to next year’s Paralympic Games in men’s sitting volleyball.

Source: The New Times.