Rwandan athletes start residential camp on Wednesday 23 June as they embark on intensive preparations ahead of this year’s Olympic Games scheduled from July 23 to August 8, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Three teams from athletics, cycling and swimming were the first to report to the residential camp at Golden Tulip Hotel, Nyamata. Both men and women teams will immediately start rigorous training today, and will be having two training sessions a day. A total of nine Rwandan athletes including three runners, four cyclists and two swimmers have so far been confirmed by the Rwanda National Olympic Committee (RNOSC) to participate in the much-anticipated Olympics. They include marathoners Felicien Muhitira, John Hakizimana, Marthe Yankurije and cyclists Joseph Areruya, Samuel Mugisha, Didier Munyaneza and Moise Mugisha as well swimming duo Eloi Imaniraguha and Alphonsine Agahozo. According to RNOSC President, Théogène Uwayo, the residential camp will last about two weeks, until athletes fly to Hachimantai City, Japan, on July 5, where they will continue their training before entering the Olympic Village on July 19, where they will spend the rest of the stay during the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, the national beach volleyball teams are in Morocco in the final African qualifiers for Tokyo. Should they qualify, they will join the camp to continue their preparations for the Olympics as well. Good timing for Rwandan olympians As Athletes start residential camp, Rwanda joins the rest of the world to celebrate the Olympic Day, an occasion when Olympians celebrate the founding of the International Olympic Committee and the modern Olympic Movement. But due to the COVID-19 situation, the Day will be celebrated via social media platforms and media. As part of the celebrations, RNOSC used the Olympic Week to train 20 sports teachers from five different schools in Kigali about the Olympic values The training sessions were, according to Uwayo, offered to sports educators, “So they can in return transfer those skills to children to adopt Olympic values during competitions as well as encourage them to do sports from their very young age.”
