Rwanda has sent a delegation of 243 student athletes to Morogoro, Tanzania, for the 24th East African Inter-School Games (FEASSSA), which will run from August 12 to 23. The delegation comprises 120 girls and 123 boys, divided into 20 teams, and will compete in seven disciplines: football, volleyball, basketball, 3x3 basketball, table tennis, athletics and handball. For the first time, Rwanda will field multiple teams in the Under-15 category, with boys’ and girls’ teams competing in football, volleyball and handball. The development follows a new partnership between the Rwanda School Sport Federation (FRSS) and the Ministry of Sports, with several of the young athletes having previously participated in sports retreats organised across the country. ALSO READ: Over 2,000 young athletes join national talent development camp In the Under-20 category, GS Tabagwe from Nyagatare District and Kiziguro SS from Gatsibo will represent Rwanda in boys’ and girls’ handball respectively. PSSB Huye will compete in girls’ football, while CGFK Kicukiro will represent the country in boys’ football. In basketball, ESB Kamonyi will compete in the girls’ category, while ITS Kigali from Gasabo will represent Rwanda in boys’ basketball. ESB Kamonyi will also field both boys’ and girls’ teams in 3x3 basketball. GS Indangaburezi from Ruhango will compete in girls’ volleyball, while Nyanza TSS will represent Rwanda in boys’ volleyball. Six boys and three girls will compete in table tennis, while five boys and five girls will contest the athletics events, all in the Under-20 category. Speaking to the delegation before their departure, Education Minister Joseph Nsengimana urged the student athletes to work hard, maintain discipline and return home with medals and trophies. “Go and make the country shine and let your hard work pay off by bringing medals and trophies back home. I also want to remind you that good manners should be among your core principles.” Nsengimana also cautioned the students against consuming illicit alcohol and encouraged them to maintain high standards, urging them to work towards representing Rwanda on the biggest stages of world sport in the future. “I come here to wish you good luck in your games. I’m sure you will do well and make Rwanda proud,” he said. FRSS president Luke Karemangingo said the student athletes had been well prepared and expressed confidence that they could improve on Rwanda’s performance at previous editions. “We have tried to select the best players across the seven disciplines in which Rwanda will be represented. Our target is to groom talents that can serve our future national and local teams. They are going to compete against the best from other countries, and we believe they will manage the pressure and deliver.” A total of 16 sports will be contested at the 24th FEASSSA Games, with Uganda, Burundi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda and hosts Tanzania taking part. Rwanda will be looking to improve on its performance at the 2025 FEASSSA Games in Kenya, where the country sent 262 students and returned with four medals — two gold and two silver.
