The Rwanda Basketball Federation (Ferwaba) in conjunction with Espoir Basketball Club will organize two Gisembe memorial tournaments this year, according to officials. Former Espoir player and later coach, Emmanuel Ntarugera aka Gisembe was killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The local Gisembe memorial tournament will be played from June 5-7 and the top four teams will earn the ticket to play in the ‘Gisembe International Memorial Tournament’ which will be played the following weekend of June12-14 at Amahoro indoor stadium. Cercle Sports de Kigali (CSK) overcame tournament organizers Espoir in the final to win the local tournament while Rwanda Alliance for Peace and Progress (RAPP) took the women’s title after defeating Ubumwe in the final. Other members of the local basketball fraternity who were killed during the Genocide, will also be honored alongside Gisembe. “The whole essence of these two tournaments is to remember our colleagues and fellow countrymen and women, who lost their lives during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” the Rwanda Basketball Federation’s technical director Didier Shema Maboko told Sunday Sport. According to Shema, the federation plans to invite teams from Burundi, Uganda, Kenya and DRC for the second ‘international tourney’. Gisembe Memorial competition started in 1996. Last year, Espoir beat Burundian side Muzinga 85-48 to take the men’s title while Belco Stars (Burundi) defeated Magic Stormers (Uganda) 67-55 for the women’s crown.
