Sports Minister Nelly Mukazayire and her counterpart Joseph Nsengimana of the Minister of Education officially launched the 2025/26 Inter-School Sports Competitions, in what marked the ministries’ renewed joint commitments to promote grassroots sports development starting from schools. Also present was the State Minister for Sports, Rwego Ngarambe. The opening ceremony, held at Lycée de Kigali on Monday, October 20, signaled the official commencement of the competitions nationwide. A total of 17 disciplines will be contested from the school level, progressing to district and provincial stages, with the best performing teams set to represent Rwanda at the East Africa Secondary School Sports Association (FEASSSA) Games. ALSO READ : Preparing the next volleyball generation: How is Rwanda faring? “This is not the first time inter-school sports competitions are happening, but this marks a new chapter where we’re committed to ensuring that young talents are nurtured right from the lower levels, starting in schools,” said Mukazayire. School have over the past decades been a source of talent and have gone on to produce a number of talented athletes who are now regarded as legends in their respective sports disciplines. However, the interschool competitions have in the past few years been struggling to produce new players to the local leagues because, among other reasons, the inter-school competitions aren’t as competitive as ever. To bring this back to life, Minister Nsengimana said that the MINEDUC plans to recruit more physical education teachers as of efforts to strengthen competitiveness and enhance athlete development. “We will make the best use of every available facility, while also ensuring that trained professionals take charge of physical education. It’s time to make that one hour on the timetable count,” said Nsengimana. New disciplines such as swimming, karate, judo, taekwondo, city ball (which will feature for the first time), table tennis, beach volleyball, and sitting volleyball have been added to the competition this year and will also be considered for the FEASSSA Games. According to Luke Karemangingo, the President of the Rwanda Schools Sports Federation, these new sports disciplines will complement existing ones including football, volleyball, handball, athletics, netball, rugby, and 3x3 basketball, which were represented at the 2025 East African regional school competition. “Previously, only a few sports were practiced in schools due to limited financial means. This partnership between the two ministries will ensure proper support and sustainability for school sports,” Karemangingo said. ALSO READ: Over 140 selected for 2026 Youth Olympic Games preparations The official launch of inter-school game was graced by Rwanda’s football legends, including Haruna Niyonzima, Eugene Murangwa, Ernest Sugira, and Hubert Nshizirungu, who served as role models and sources of inspiration for the young athletes. “I truly admire this initiative from both ministries. Many of us started our journeys through school sports, and we’re ready to give back by sharing our experiences,” said Niyonzima. Among the inspired students was 14-year-old Liliane Igirimbabazi, who dreams of becoming a professional footballer. “This is a great opportunity for us. Seeing the Minister of Sports in person was inspiring. It motivates us to work harder and aim higher,” she said. This new partnership will also contribute to scouting under-17 athletes to represent Rwanda at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, aligning with the ongoing National Talent Week initiatives under the AFD Isonga Project.
