Thousands to grace Gahanga Cricket Stadium inauguration

Preparations are in high gear for the official launch of the state-of –the-art Gahanga Cricket Stadium on October 28. It will be a day for the sports fraternity and Rwanda in general to celebrate a milestone in the country’s cricketing history. According to Rwanda Cricket Association (RCA) Secretary General Mary Maina, between 800-1000 delegates are expected to attend the inauguration that will culminate in the much-publicized launch. The launch will kick-off with Umuganda- community work at Ntarama Bugesera in the Eastern province in the morning before the official ceremony, which will start at midday. During the launch the Cricket Builds Hope Celebrity T20 cricket game will be played to cap the inauguration. The construction of the long-awaited Rwf950.2 million cricket stadium began in June 2016 with the works being overseen by the RCSF, an NGO. Among the key speakers at the launch is the Minister of Sports and Culture Julian Uwacu, and Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation (RSCF) project director Alby shale, (the son) of Christopher Shale who began working on the idea of building a much-needed home for Rwandan cricket. Other invited guests include presidents from different sports federations, and high profile cricket personalities from across the globe like cricket legend Brian Charles Lara. Others are Michael Paul Vaughan OBE a former English cricketer captain, Alan Higgin chief investment officer at Coutts & Company, David John Richardson, the South African former cricketer and current CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Sarah Ferguson the Duchess of York and British writer, as well as William Russell the sheriff of the City of London, among others. editorial@newtimes.co.rw