ATHLETES from 13 national sports federations are set to embark on early preparations for the 2016 Summer Olympics which will be held in the Brazilian capital, Rio de Janeiro from August 5-21.

According to a statement by the Rwanda National Olympic and Sport Committee (RNOSC) released on Tuesday, the disciplines that will be considered include; archery, athletics, boxing, cycling, fencing, football, golf, judo, lawn tennis, shooting, swimming, taekwondo and volleyball.

Rwanda will also compete in the Rio Paralympics Games 2016.

In total, over 150 athletes will be involved in the pre-selection process to pick the required 25 athletes.

The local Olympic Committee 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, and a vision.”

He noted that 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 Olympics.

"In line with our programme ‘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,” Habineza added.