The Rwanda national Olympic committee has signed different Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreements with different national Olympic committees to train national athletes ahead of this year’s Beijing games set for August 8-24 in China.

The local Olympic Committee president Ignace Beraho said that Rwanda’s swimmers will train in South Africa under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the countries’ committees which will be signed before the end of this month.

Rwanda’s swimmers to this year’s Beijing games are set to have a training stint in Johannesburg, South Africa.

According to Beraho, this was reached during the International Olympic Committee (IOC) general Assembly held in Beijing, China last week.

"This will help Rwanda’s swimmers to train on Olympic standard swimming pools ahead of the Games.”

"So all work is left with the local swimming body to name their Beijing team and start immediately with the training stint in South Africa,” Beraho said.

Beraho further added that other MOU agreements which are expected to be signed before the end of this month included; an MOU with Algeria meant to train local athletes and coaches, Qatar MOU meant to train local athletes as well as boosting infrastructures in Rwanda, India MOU for training archery, Japan MOU for judo, softball and canoe kayaking and Germany MOU aimed for Gymnastics education.

Rwanda’s swimmers were granted a wild card to the games, saving them the hustle of continental and world qualifiers.
However, the national swimming team head coach Jacques Ngabonziza is yet to name his final squad of two swimmers.

On the team is Pamela Ngirimbabazi who will take part in both 100m breast stroke but the coach wants to try her out on the 50 m free stroke.

Ngirimbabazi is one of the experienced female swimmers in the country after she took part in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.

The competition for the male slot on the team remains between Aimable Habimana and Jackson Niyomugabo.

Only Swimming, Athletics and Paralympics are the only country’s sports disciplines which will take part in the Beijing games.

In Paralympics, 2004 Athens bronze medalist, Nkundabera has already qualified for the Beijing Games in 800m during last year’s All Africa Games in Algeria.

In the mainstream athletics, which is Rwanda’s main hope for a medal in Beijing has so far qualified two; Dieudonné Disi (10.000m) and Epiphanie Nyirabarame (women marathon).

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