Veteran coach Ernzen on why he set up a Triathlon centre in Karongi

A professional athletic coach from Luxembourg, Jean Pierre Ernzen set up a triathlon club in Karongi that trains youngsters in swimming, cycling and running disciplines. The club dubbed “Centre Sportif de Karongi (CSK)” is located near the shore of Lake Kivu and has been operating officially since March this year. Ernzen is a professor of Sports and Physical Education, founder of Luxembourgish Triathlon Federation and former international athlete among others. He first worked in the technical team of the preparations of Kigali peace marathon in 2005 and from there he has embarked on different projects in Rwanda. Times Sports had a chat with Ernzen to learn more about the Triathlon Club in Karongi. Below are excerpts: Why did you choose Karongi as venue for the center? We chose Karongi because we believe in the development of the area and the environment is conducive for our sports training. Even though there is no infrastructure yet, we make use of the lake, roads and hills. There is Lake Kivu from where our swimming coach offers lessons to the trainees every morning at 6am and afterwards, they get food before heading to school. For us, it is very important not only to focus on the sessions but also education, youngsters have to perform in school as well in order to participate in the training. We want to raise youngsters who are equipped to represent Rwanda physically and also mentally, that’s why they also get English lessons as an added value for better communication as they prepare for international competitions as most of the rules are in English. Why Triathlon? To be honest I think there are many people in other fields and based on my background as an athlete from a young age in triathlon and duathlon, I can deliver more. In Rwanda, athletics results have not be good for the last ten years and running is the least expensive, it is just an example. Some of the trainees pose for a group photo after training. With good leadership, more can be done and it takes time. How many members do you have and how do they train? This is a pilot project and the club so far hosts 30 young participants aged between 11 to 22 years old, 25 boys and 5 girls. At the moment, they train six times a week and often twice a day according to the 10,000 hours rule, you need 15 to 20 hours a week on long-term average otherwise, there is no chance. Yes, the majority is boys but when I compare today to 2005, I now see more women involved in sports, however, everything takes time. Some of the athletes during a swimming training session. The club so far hosts 30 young participants aged between 11 to 22 . For example, it is a good thing that we have Pamela in the swimming federation which is an image that women can perform as well. Women have a place in our club and in sports globally. What are the criteria based on while recruiting? Criteria are for the moment quite open that means the door is open to everybody who has interest, but from there, we have rules. Parents have to pay Rwf15,000 per year for membership. We offer different services which make parents somehow proud that their kids are not wandering off in unproductive things but they are in a structured club where we promote team spirit and help each other. “They get training sessions, materials, food and English courses.” What’s the estimated amount of investment made? We have an annual budget of $16000 which is not so much compared to the number of trainees we have and materials needed. So far, I am doing this from my own pocket and it is very costly but we are open to investors and partners from the government, private sector and individuals as well. What does this mean to Rwanda? The athlete must be the focus and everything around must be organized in order to improve and represent Rwanda at regional and international level. When you start training at a young age, the brain is receptive and then after 6 years it becomes normal, the average international performers start at 10-11 years and it requires consistency. Rwanda has the potential, we have almost 13 million people with 8 million youngsters, maybe there is one Messi, or maybe there is one strong girl as the Ethiopian, Kenyan or Burundi, if it is in running, cycling or swimming, but everything depends on passion and good leadership. What is your way forward? Concerning the CSK, we are just in the beginning, we are looking to increase coaches and find more equipment. We have one coach for 30 participants which is not efficient. We, as a club, will definitely organize a competition soon, we had one in 2019 it was called Corridor Karongi, it was a triathlon and running event We also planned one in 2020 but due to Covid19, it got postponed but we will see the possibility of organising one in line with guidelines from the ministry on the matter. It can have a big impact, by putting Karongi on spot in terms of tourism and hopefully have internationals come and say hey, I can discover Akagera, Nyungwe, Gishwati national parks but I can also do sports events. We have those plans in mind, let’s see how far we can go. We presented our project to the district officials and we are waiting for their response.