Ruhamiriza to officiate at 2021 FIBA U-19 World Cup
Monday, August 02, 2021
Basketball referee Jean Sauveur Ruhamiriza. / Sam Ngendahimana.

Rwanda’s international Basketball referee Jean Sauveur Ruhamiriza has been named among referees who will officiate at the forthcoming 2021 FIBA Women’s U-19 World Cup which gets underway from August 7-15 in Debrecen, Hungary.

The 30-year-old, who departed for Debrecen last night aboard a KLM Airline flight, is one of only three African referees selected to officiate at the weeklong showpiece.

"It is an exciting opportunity for me and I am very proud to be representing my country at the FIBA U-19 World Cup.  This is just beginning and I hope the horizons will keep unfolding,” said Ruhamiriza

"This is a rare platform for me to take my career to another level, I hope to benefit a lot from the experience,” he added.

A total of 28 referees were selected from different countries of the globe to officiate the tournament.

Ruhamiriza becomes the second Rwandan international Referee to officiate a Basketball World Cup after Didier Shema Maboko.

Currently the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Sports (MINISPORTS), Shema officiated the FIBA Men’s U-17 World Cup which took place in Zaragoza, Spain, in 2016.