Events that shaped Rwandan sport in 2015

The year 2015 was eventful for Rwandan sport in various disciplines like hosting a number of regional showpieces, participating in several international competitions as well as reaching considerable milestones. Times Sport, takes a look at some of the year’s main sporting events in Rwanda. Volleyball Unlike 2014 when volleyball was the most outstanding sport in the country, 2015 on the national level volleyball was not what many expected. Nevertheless, it was a dream come true for Rwanda’s beach volleyball players Denyse Mutatsimpundu and Charlotte Nzayisenga, after they overcame Kenya to win a bronze medal at the 2015 All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville. In October, Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Education of Kibungo (INATEK) were crowned the national volleyball league champions on the final day of the season after overcoming rivals Rayon Sports at Amahoro indoor stadium—it was the first league title for the Ngoma-based club. Rwanda men and women’s beach volleyball teams, in November, begun the quest for a place at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the second round qualifiers in Cairo, Egypt. Also in the same month, INATEK pair of Patrick Kavalo and Olivier Ntagengwa won national beach volleyball tournament that took place in Rubavu District on the shores of Lake Kivu. But to a larger extent, 2015 saw many local players join different foreign clubs precisely in Europe—these include; Lawrence Yakan Guma, Yves Mutabazi (both Oita Miyoshi club of Japan), Nelson Murangwa (Danish second division league side Middelfart). Others are Placide Madison Sibomana (Shamal of Qatar), national volleyball team captain Christophe Mukunzi (Turkish first division side Payas Belediye Spor Voleybol), and Fred Musoni, who joined Finland’s first division side Liiga Riento earlier in the year. Basketball It was a dark day for the basketball fraternity on March 1 when Kigali Basketball Club players were involved in fatal road accident while travelling to Huye for a league game against UR-Huye campus. It claimed the life of their player Jean-Guy Rutayisire and four other fellow passengers—this forced the club to pull out of the national league. In May, ESPOIR Basketball Club retained the national basketball championship title for a fourth consecutive time before retaining the play-offs title in August while on the women’s side, Ubumwe and APR won the league and play-offs titles respectively. In August top coaches from America’s NBA flew in the country to equip young basketball players with fundamentals of basketball as well as life skills under the renowned Giants of Africa programme. Lastly in October, Rwanda hosted the FIBA Africa Zone Five Club Championships for the first time in eight years since the 13th edition in 2007, Egyptian debutants Gezira won the men’s title while Burundi’s Berco Stars overcame stiff challenge from 2014 winners USIU (Kenya) and KCCA of Uganda to win the women’s crown. Espoir, who were among favourites, finished as Rwandan best performers with a bronze while CSK finished in seventh position. In women’s tourney, debutants Ubumwe finished fourth with APR finishing sixth. National Paralympic Committee (NPC) Apart from cycling, National Paralympic Committee was also the outstanding sport both on the national and international scene. In February, Rwanda young athletes Dinah Kabazayire and Bazile Businge participated in Dream Program 2015 winter sports training camp in Korea. It was the second year of participation in winter sports training camp in Korea after the 2014 which all aim to prepare the first participation of Rwanda in Pyongyang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. From 19-26 march, the duo of Hermas Muvunyi & Jean Claude Ndayisenga won two Gold medals in 400m & 800m /T46 and a Bronze medal in 400m T47 respectively in the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Grand Prix that was held in Tunis, Tunisia. In July, Rwanda hosted the 2015 Para Volley Africa Sitting Volleyball Championships in Kigali. Rwanda Women and Egypt Men teams qualified to represent Africa in Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games in August - September 2016. It will be the first time to see an African women Sitting Volleyball team in Paralympic Games. Muvunyi also got Gold medal in 400m and Theogene Hakizimana lifted 185kg getting a bronze medal in the 2015 All African Games in Brazzaville Congo. From 22-31, the duo also competed in the Doha 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships but didn’t win any medal. Handball After 10 years since 2005, the senior men handball national team was summoned on February 19 and held a training camp which started on February 22 to participate in zone 5 qualifying tournament for All Africa Games that took place in Congo-Brazzaville later in September. However they finished last in their group A after Kenya and Uganda without winning any game. Also in February, the Heroes handball tournament was staged with Police HBC and Appega winning the titles in men and women categories respectively before Police also winning the Labor Day tournament in May. June and July presented the Genocide Memorial and Liberation day tournaments which were both won by APR in men while Appega and ES Mukingi won the women titles respectively. The men’s national championship was over and done with November and was won by Police, who also went on to claim the Carre d’As title and as well as the Beach handball tourney that took place in Rubavu. ES Mukingi clinched the women’s title. Police as the 2014 champions represented Rwanda in the African Handball Champions League for the second time since 2011; however they crashed out of the competition without winning a single game finishing at the 15th position of the 16 clubs. The last event on the 2015 calendar was the East and Central Africa Handball Federation Championships which attracted six clubs from Kenya and Rwanda, and was won by Rwanda Police (Men) and Kenya’s Nairobi Water in the women’s fray. Tennis 2015 started on the saddest note possible with the sudden death of Rwanda’s number one, Jean Claude Gasigwa, who passed away after collapsing during a training session on January 8 at Cercle Sportif de Kigali. Nonetheless, Rwanda still participated in the U-16 Zonal Africa junior championship Qualification in Dar es salam, Tanzania from January 9-18, and Ernest Habiyambere won the boys’ singles title before pairing with compatriot Fabrice Tuyishime to claim the doubles crown. In September, the quartet of Dieudonne Habiyambere, Olivier Havugimana, Megane Ingabire and Gisele Umumararungu represented the country in the All Africa Games however none managed to win a medal with Habiyambere recording the best performance after being beaten in the third round playoff. In November, Rwanda’s women number one Megane Ingabire failed in her bid to win her first Uganda Tennis Open title after losing to in the final to Kenya’s Shuffa Changawa at Lugogo Tennis complex in Kampala. From November 16 to December 5, the national junior tennis team of six players, including three boys and three girls competed in ITF/ CAT East African Junior Circuits in Nairobi, Kenya—however Rwandans suffered early exits in all the three tournaments that last close to three weeks. Taekwondo Last year was also quite eventful in taekwondo. For the second time, Rwanda competed at the World Taekwondo Championships held in Chelyabinsk, Russia, having made a debut appearance at the 2013 edition in Pueblo, Mexico. Despite failing to win any medal, Rwanda jumped from 40th to 25th position in world rankings and 20th to 6th in Africa. After this tournament, former Rwanda international Taekwondo martial artist and national team captain, Placide Bagabo retired from playing after eight years in the game. In August, taekwondo team debuted in the 24th Hanmadang International Taekwondo Festival in South Korea and was named the best African team after claimed gold and trophy of excellence in showing taekwondo skills through cultural dance. Other medals came from Boniface Mbonigaba (one gold) and Zura Mushambokazi who won two gold medals. The 16-year old Benon Kayitare scooped two bronze medals with other two coming from team captain Regis Iyumva. The team also held a seven-day training camp alongside in France where they had gone to compete in the Tournoi International de Paris however, the tournament was cancelled hours before kick-off after a coordinated series of terror attacks in Paris on November 20 that claimed at least 130 lives. Finally, the team jetted off to Moroccan coastal city of Agadir to participate in the Morocco International Taekwondo Open that was set for November 27-29 but no Rwandan reached the medal stage. Golf Probably in golf the closure of the Kigali Golf Club over tax arrears made more news in this domain than the actual game itself. The Golf Club was closed in July after a tax audit exercise by RRA revealed that a total of Rwf200 million in unpaid taxes and accumulated interest and penalties had not been paid between 2007 and 2009. However, after long discussion between the two parties, an agreement that the Golf pays to with Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) Rwf70m and the club reopened in August. Later in September, the golf club launched and begun the construction of a multi-million dollar project New Kigali Golf Country Club that includes an international golf course and luxury golf club and expected to be completed by September 2016. In November, over 150 golfers local and regional took part in Rwanda Open which was claimed by Kenya’s Dismas Indiza won the top prize in professional’s category while Rwanda’s teenager Celestine Nzanzuwera won the amateurs category. Kigali golf club also hosted the East Africa Golf challenge of which Uganda retained, while Rwanda came third after Kenya with Tanzania finishing fourth while Ethiopia on fifth.