Category: <span>Events</span>

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has set the Gold Coast 2018 Queen’s Baton Relay in motion during a star-studded commencement ceremony yesterday at Buckingham Palace as part of Commonwealth Day celebrations.

Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Edward The Earl of Wessex, The Queen placed her message to the Commonwealth and its athletes inside the distinctive Baton.

The Queen’s Baton will now travel through the entire Commonwealth for 388 days, covering 230,000 kilometers to its final destination, the Opening Ceremony of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) on 4 April 2018.

Particularly, The Queen’s Baton Relay will visit Rwanda from March 22-25, 2017.

Australian Paralympic champion Kurt Fearnley OAM delivered the Queen’s Baton starting from Marlborough House up The Mall and into the Palace Forecourt, accompanied by the eminent Band of the Scots Guards, who played by permission of Major General BJ Bathurst CBE, The Major General Commanding The Household Division.

Louise Martin CBE President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Peter Beattie AC Chairman of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) and Yugambeh Elders Patricia O’Connor and Ted Williams accompanied Her Majesty in the ceremonial party.

For full media release document, Download it here.

Today,  Saturday, March 11th, 2017, the Extraordinary General Assembly of Rwanda National Olympic and Sports was hold at Lemigo Hotel in Kigali. The main purpose of this Assembly was to elect the new Executive Committee members. According to the Olympic Charter, the general elections are hold the year after the Olympic Games and the Committee members hold office for a term of four years. 

The positions that were run for including that of the President, 1^st Vice President, 2^nd Vice President, Secretary General, Treasurer, Internal Auditor, and two advisors.

The elections results are as follows:

• The President: Amb. MUNYABAGISHA Valens:

• The 1st Vice President: Madam RWEMALIKA Félicité:

• The 2nd Vice President: Mr. BIZIMANA Festus:

• The Secretary General: BIZIMANA Dominique:

• The Treasurer: Madam INGABIRE Alice

• Two Advisors: Mr. NZABANTERURA Eugene and Madam E’GAIRMA Hermine:

• The Internal Auditor: UMWALI Josette

The Guest of Honor,  The Permanent Secretary – Ministry of Sports and Culture reminded the new Executive Committee that the transparency and institutional partnership are the only keys to the success of the new responsibility they are undertaking.

On behalf of the new Executive Committee, The President, Amb. MUNYABAGISHA Valens thanked all Olympic Movements members and  promised them in close collaboration to reach the podium. 

See more photos:

For the first time, the Commonwealth Games Federation Africa annual regional is underway in Kigali. The two-day meeting is set for Thursday and Friday at Kigali Marriott Hotel, and is focusing on discussing ways of providing the Commonwealth Games Associations with the opportunity to engage, and discuss important issues relating to the Commonwealth Sports Movements as well as providing feedback to the Commonwealth Games Federation.

According to the Rwanda Commonwealth Games Association, this is a very important meeting for Rwanda as the host country and the local sports fraternity.

As hosts, Rwanda’s benefits include; assistance for athlete’s preparations and participation in the Commonwealth Games, project support for promotion of gender equality in sports, scholarship program for coaches and administrators for sports, creating partnerships with Commonwealth sports family and support for its 2015-2022 strategic plans.

18 African countries representing their Commonwealth Games Associations  are attending the meeting: Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Cameroon, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Zambia, Malawi, Seychelles, South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia and Mozambique.

The Commonwealth Games Federation, Ms. Louise Martin and the president of Hamad Kalkaba Malboum of African Athletics Confederation are among the important guests to attend this meeting.

Others are; Miriam Moyo, president of the Commonwealth Games Association of Zambia and the CGF’s Regional Vice President for Africa and Gideon Sam, the Vice-President of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent and equal sovereign states. Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in November 2009 during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Trinidad & Tobago, becoming the association’s 54th member.

Rwanda made its Commonwealth Games debut at the 19th Commonwealth Games in Delhi, taking part in athletics, boxing, road cycling and swimming.

The 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games will be held in The Bahamas and it is expected to be the largest international sporting event ever, attracting up to 1300 athletes aged 14-18.

On this Tuesday, February 28, 2017, The UK Sport Delegation paid a visit to Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee and had a meeting with Ministry of Sports and Culture, Cycling and Swimming federations,  and Rwanda National Paralympic Committee.

UK Sport is the nation’s high performance sports agency investing in Olympic and Paralympic sport. Its mission is to work in partnership to lead sport in the UK to world class success.

Primarily, they work with their partner sporting organizations to deliver medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The delegation is composed of:

• Craig Burn, CEO Scottish – Cycling
• Forbes Dunlop, CEO Scottish – Swimming
• Chris Harvey, International Relations Advisor, UK Sport
• Catherine Sweet, International Relations Advisor, UK Sport

They are approaching particularly Swimming and Cycling federations, and Rwanda National Paralympic Committee to see how they can collaborate closely in favor of athletes.

On the 02^nd to 03^rd March 2017, the Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee is hosting “the Commonwealth Games Federation Africa Regional Meeting 2017” at Kigali Marriott Hotel.

The discussion of this meeting will turning on providing the Commonwealth Games Associations with the opportunity to engage, discuss important issues relating to the Commonwealth Sports Movements and provide feedback to the Commonwealth Games Federation.

The president of Commonwealth Games Federation is expected to attend this meeting.

On December 21, 2016, Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee in partnership with nine organizations brought together around 1,200 children at Amahoro National Stadium and celebrated for the first time of its history “Children Sports Day” and set a milestone with this event.

It was a day dedicated to vulnerable children where they spent a joyful moment all together. they discovered and practiced a wide range of sports, met Olympic Athletes and sang with their favorite singers such as King James, Rafiki Coga,….

The event was centered around promoting values of the Olympics like fair play, respect and consideration. It was also an opportunity for children of discovering and practicing sports, expressing talents, being center of enormous attention and meeting role models, to not only make our children feel valued and worthy but
to motivate and inspire them.

Here’s the a short movie highlighting “The Children Sports Day 2016” from its preparation till the end of the event day.

Press Release Children Sports Day

Event: Children Sports Day 2016

Date: 21st Wednesday 2016, 9pm – 3pm

Place: Amahoro National Stadium

Initiator: Rwandan National Olympic and Sports Committee and Root Foundation Rwanda

Participating Organisations:
– SOS Children’s Village (300 children)
– Root Foundation (120)
– ASOLATE (60)
– Esperance (120)
– Hope of Tomorrow (180)
– Love the kids foundation (30)
– Skate – Aid Rwanda
– Les Enfants de dieu (100)
– Tumukunde Foundation (10)
– Rwandan Samarithan Choice (10)

Program:
On the 21st December, around 1,200 vulnerable children from Rwanda are going to celebrate the
end of the year together in Stade Amahoro. After a march from RDB to the Stadium in the morning,
the children will parade during the official opening ceremony inside the stadium.
Throughout the day, olympic athletes, famous women health such as King James and Rafiki, great dancers
like snipers dance crew and Lebron Isaac will be inspiring and entertaining all our children. The
Rwanda Athletics Federation will be offering several sport workshops and use this opportunity to
detect potential future athletes. Other activities, such as frisbee, basketball, skateboarding will be
discovered by the children. The celebrations will end with performances from the organisation’s
children.

Special Guests:King James, Rafiki – King of Coga, Snipers Dance Crew, Edouce, Lebron Isaac

Comments:
– first ever initiative of this kind of event in rwanda
– made possible because of many people supporting the good cause of the event
– yearly / repetitive event with huge potential to address more and more children and offer more
– prospect for next years: willing to include refugees, people with disabilities and orphans

Quotes:
Robert Bayigamba, President, Rwandan National Olympic and Sports Committee
“As the President of the Rwandan National Olympic and Sports Committee, it is my duty to spread
the Olympic values of solidarity and fraternity towards the vulnerable children of Rwanda this
December. Today the whole RNOSC is proud to initiate this first event of this kind in our country.
We will make this children enjoy the moment and create hope for their future”.

Paul Klahre, Assistant Director of Root Foundation, Co-initiator of the event: “Everyone has to
admit the great impact the event is going to have on our children. Simply by dedicating time and
joint efforts towards our needy children, we – as the Rwandan society – are going change the lives
and attitudes of our children.
I can’t wait to see their smile entering the Stadium, experiencing the affection every child
deserves”.

Antoine de Kervern, RNOSC, Co-initiator: “With this very ambitious project, we have achieved
raising awareness of vulnerable children of Rwanda. Impacting the lives of our children through
sports and inspiration, is a vision I am proud to turn into a tangible event”.

Rafiki Coga, Musician, Ambassador of Children Sports Day 2016: “I do agree when Fred Rogers
says that anyone who does anything to help a kid is a hero for me. Today, let’s think about what we
can do, not what we cannot. Today, let’s all be heroes”.

Alphonsine Agahozo, National Swimming Champion, Ambassador: “With this event, we are going
to a have a great impact on vulnerable children of Rwanda”.

Links for more information:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildrenSportsDay2016/?fref=ts
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W-OHxl3iYQ&feature=youtu.be
Rafiki Speech (Kinyarwanda): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UibYRJSHV8I
Rafiki Speech (English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLoh4vWKDm4

Contact
Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee
Jean de Dieu Mukundiyukuri, Director
email: [email protected] mobile: 0788 694 225
Antoine de Kervern
email: [email protected] mobile:0787 810 347
Paul Klahre, Assistant Directorof Root Foundation Rwanda
email: [email protected] mobile:0723 368 256/ 0781 448 765