Sports always brings people together and Rwanda, as a nation, has really embraced it as a key tool to repair a broken society which lost over a million of lives to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in just 100 days. For a country whose infrastructures were razed down during the 1994 genocide, Rwanda had to start from scratch to build new facilities to be able to host major sporting events and it has, in that sense, made tremendous strides over the years. Availability of major infrastructures enabled the country to host big sporting events in the process, putting the nation on the global sporting map. Times Sport takes a look at top sports events that have taken place in the country which continues to establish itself as a sports tourism destination. AFCON U20 The 2009 U20 AFCON was held in Rwanda from January 18 to February 1, 2009. It was the first major football event held in the country since CECAFA 1999. It was hosted in grand style...the atmosphere, the euphoria and the hospitality was top notch. The tournament in Rwanda is undoubtedly one of the best in the U20 AFCON history. It’s during the tournament that produced a host of African celebrated footballers such as Rwandan veteran Haruna Niyonzima, Ghana skipper Andre Ayew and Jean Michel Seri of Cote D'Ivoire among others. Sadly, Rwanda bowed out of the group stages while Ghana eventually won the tournament and qualified for the U20 World Cup in Egypt which they went on to win. AFCON U17 After successfully hosting the U20 AFCON, African football governing body (CAF) gave Rwanda the rights again to host the U17 African championship in 2011. It was held from January 8-22 attracting eight nations. Rwanda at the time reached the final but they lost 2-1 at the hands of Burkina Faso. The country also secured a ticket to the U17 World Cup in Mexico in 2011. Rwanda was praised throughout the African continent for the colorful tournament as it was the second time in two years they had hosted a continental football event. The tournament produced stars such as Bertrand Traore who later played for Chelsea, Faustin Usengimana, Emery Bayisenge among others. CHAN 2016 Rwanda won the hosting rights for the fourth edition of the African Nations Championships (CHAN) which is solely reserved for players selected from their domestic leagues on the African continent. The tournament took place from January 16 to February 7, 2016 in three cities namely Kigali, Huye and Rubavu. Rwanda was taking part in the continental showpiece for the second time since their maiden appearance in 2011 in Sudan. The country received home support which pushed them till they were knocked out of the quarter finals, after a shock 2-1 defeat to DR Congo after extra time. Though Rwanda got eliminated, the fans still trooped to the stadium and watched all the remaining games. Basketball Africa League Rwanda has been hosting Basketball Africa League games since 2020 when Kigali first hosted the playoffs and the finals of the maiden edition of the competition. The continental club basketball showpiece always remains one of the most-watched basketball events in Africa in the calendar year as it brings Basketball fans across the globe to Rwanda while various international media agencies broadcast the games. Rwanda's BK Arena is one of the modern facilities for Basketball in Africa and that alone adds some class to the event. CAVB African Nations Championship Rwanda hosted the 2021 CAVB African Nations championships which attracted 21 countries vying for the ultimate volleyball silverware. The volleyball women's tournament which took place from September 5-20 brought the best in the sport to Kigali. There were signs that the hosts would impress at the tournament both in men and women’s categories until the country was disqualified due to fielding ineligible players, which led to further charges as a result. FIBA Afrobasket 2021 Rwanda established itself as a basketball hub on the continental scene after hosting a successful FIBA Afrobasket in 2021. The hosting standards were top notch, but the results on court proved the opposite, 10th place in the 16-team competition after they were eliminated in the group stages. The tournament is one of the basketball events to have ever entertained Kigali as it brought people of all walks of life together at BK Arena. Tunisia defeated Cote D'Ivoire by 78-75 in the final to win the tournament. FIFA Congress The 73rd FIFA congress which saw president Gianni Infantino retain his position as the president of the world football governing body, was held in Kigali on March 16, 2023. Close to 2000 delegates including representatives from the body’s 211 member FAs as well as members of the media, ex-footballers and others all converged in Kigali for the FIFA Congress. This was arguably the biggest sports related event to ever have taken place in Rwanda given that FIFA is the body which oversees and regulates world football. President Gianni Infantino commended the nation for successfully hosting the event.
