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Rwanda to Compete in African Youth Games in Botswana

Rwanda will participate in the second edition of the African Youth Games that will be held in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana from May 22-31, 2014.

A total of 49 athletes, 30 female and 19 male will compete at the continental games in 12 sports disciplines including athletics, basketball (3 on 3), boxing, cycling, fencing, golf, karate, lawn tennis, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and volleyball.

This is the first time that Rwanda will take part in the youth games which have set a platform for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) that will be held in Nanjing, China.

The Gaborone event is a qualifying platform for athletics and swimming to YOG.

The head of delegation, second vice president Elie Manirarora said, “We need medals. This is also the way forward towards the Rio Olympics in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020. This is how we are going to raise ‘Generations of Champions’.”

In line with our vision ‘Generations of Champions’, it is this same foundation that will prepare the youth to compete at continental and global levels in preparation for the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

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Beach Volleyball Teams Qualify for Youth Olympic Games

Rwanda has qualified for both the men and women’s beach volleyball events at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games to be held from August 16-28 in Nanjing, China.

The girls’ side comprised of Seraphine Mukantambara and Lea Uwimbabazi has emerged African champions automatically qualifying for the second edition of the biggest youth sports event in the world.

The pair defeated Mauritius 2-1 (21-18, 21-13) and lost to Namibia 2-0 (23-21) in the group stages before seeing off the hosts Ghana 2-0 (21-9, 21-14) in the semi-final to qualify for the final. Rwanda defeated Namibia 2-0 to be crowned African champions.

In the boys’ category, Rwanda defeated Congo Brazaville 2-1 (21-10, 16-21, 15-12) before losing to Nigeria 2-1 (18-21, 21-16, 14-16) in the group stages. Rwanda saw off Namibia 2-0 (21-18, 21-9) before beating Sierra Leone 2-0 (21-12, 21-9).

Ranked fourth in Group B, Rwanda played against third placed Egypt from Group A and emerged winners after shocking the North Africans 2-1 to finish sixth on the African continent and also booked a place to Nanjing.

Head coach Paul Bitok said, “This is the only way to go. We came here to qualify but eventually the girls became champions. We have to keep participating in youth events and then we shall have a future for sports in Rwanda.”

This is the first time that Rwanda has qualified for the Youth Olympic Games, however, at the first edition of the quadrennial event in Singapore, Rwanda was represented by four athletes in athletics, boxing and swimming.

“This is a great moment for Rwanda and will lay a foundation for us as a country as we look forward to competing at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” explained Elie Manirarora, the chef de mission to the Nanjing event.

At this year’s event, Rwanda also has wildcards to participate in athletics, cycling and swimming and beach volleyball makes it four sporting disciplines.

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Rwandan Golfer Tours Botswana ahead of AYG

Aaron Taylor Koonce
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.

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Nanjing, China Summer Youth Olympic Games

Rwanda will compete at the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China

Over 3,600 young athletes aged 15 to 18 from over 200 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) will be in Nanjing, China, from August 16-28, 2014 to compete in the second edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

This year’s event will feature 28 sports, including golf and rugby sevens, which will make their debut before their inclusion at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Also on the sports programme will be disciplines such as 3-on-3 basketball and 5-a-side hockey, as well as mixed gender and mixed NOC events.

Some new sports and disciplines not currently on the Olympic programme will also be showcased following an IOC Executive Board decision in December 2013. Sport climbing, roller sports and skateboarding will join wushu, which was already planned to feature in Nanjing.

The young participants will have the opportunity to take part in a unique Culture and Education Programme (CEP) off the anxiety of play that will focus on themes ranging from Olympism and the Olympic values to skills development and how to lead healthy lifestyles.

2014-03-YOUTH_OLYMPIC_GAMES_PRESS_RELEASE

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Rwanda Eyes Record Entry to 2016 Summer Olympics

Rwanda expects to send a record 25 athletes to compete at the upcoming Summer Olympics that will be held in the Brazilian capital, Rio de Janeiro from August 5-21, 2016.

The Rwanda National Olympic and Sport Committe (RNOSC) has identified 13 sports disciplines to commence preparations and they include archery, athletics, boxing, cycling, augmentin, football, golf, judo, lawn tennis, shooting, swimming, taekwondo and volleyball.

The National Paralympic Committee will also send athletes to Rio de Janeiro as well.

In total, over 150 athletes will be involved in the qualification process as the focus will narrow down to the goal of 25 athletes with a chance to win medals for Rwanda.

The responsible federations have already laid out strategic planning to participate in several global and continental competitions over the course of time in preparation for the prestigious Olympics.

RNOSC Secretary General Ahmed Habineza said, “Champions are not made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision.”

In line with our program ‘Reach the Podium’, this is an opportunity for the athletes to compete at the highest level and with all the support they need, this is an achievable objective.

The highest number of athletes Rwanda has ever sent to the Olympics is 10 (Barcelona 1992) and at the recent London 2012 Games, Rwanda sent seven athletes.

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Rwanda Investigates Possible Participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics

The Rwanda National Olympic and Sport Committee (RNOSC) is currently exploring the possibility of competing at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games that will be held in Pyeongchang in the Republic of Korea from February 9-25.

This follows a recent visit of a six-man delegation from Rwanda that trained at the Alpensia resort in Pyeongchang from January 12-27, with focus on downhill skiing as a test event at the ‘Dream Program’, an annual winter sports training camp for international youths including those in snowless regions.

Led by Martin Koonce, the Executive Director of the RNOSC, Rwanda was represented by three Paralympians namely; IPC World Championships gold medalist Hermas Cliff Muvunyi, Emile Cadet Vuningabo and Dinnah Kabazayire as well as two taekwondo players including Daphine Uwababyeyi and Vincent Munyakazi.

“It is a real possibility that Rwandans can participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics and be competitive if we begin preparing now and if we believe,” mentioned Koonce who was also coach in Pyeongchang.

The focus will be to compete in downhill skiing, short track speed skating, crosscountry skiing and biathlon, which is a combination of shooting and crosscountry skiing.

Muvunyi expressed delight and said, “It was a good experience and there is hope that we can perform well and with the same enthusiasm, the 15 year old Uwababyeyi, a junior taekwondo player said, “This is the best time of my life. My world has changed.”

Over 150 youths from 37 countries from across the world took part in this 10-year program including Brunei, Philippines, Ukraine, India, Thailand, Guatemala, Ecuador, Mexico as well as other African countries like Togo, Gabon, Morocco, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda.

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Twenty athletes to represent Rwanda at the Commonwealth Games

Rwanda will be represented by 21 athletes at the Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held in Glasgow, Scotland from July 23-August 3, 2014.

Five sports disciplines have been selected and that herpes virus athletics, boxing, cycling, swimming and paralympics. Below are the specifications of Rwanda’s participation;

Sport discipline

Event

Female

Male

Athletics

Marathon

1

2

10000m

1

3

5000m

2

800m

1

Boxing

Light middleweight (64kg)

1

Middleweight (75kg)

1

Cycling

Individual time trial

3

Team time trial

5

Mountain bike

2

Swimming

50m freestyle

1

Paralympics

Powerlifting (75kg+)

1

*Please note that there are seven cyclists, five will compete in the team time trial, three of whom will compete in the individual time trial and then two in the mountain bike category.

The chef de mission to Glasgow, Serge Mwambali said, “We are going to do our best. Athletes are very committed and very soon we shall start training camps.”

This is the second time that Rwanda will participate in the quadrennial Games that will attract over 10, 000 athletes from 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.

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