Rwanda national taekwondo team will, for the first time, compete in the 11th Tournoi International de Paris slated for November 14-15 in the French capital, Paris. Speaking to Times Sport on Tuesday, the Rwanda Taekwondo Federation secretary general, Placide Bagabo, revealed that they received the invitation from their French counterparts early last month. “It’s a great opportunity because this is a strong international competition which we think will give our players great experience as we prepare for Olympic Games qualifiers (slated for 13-14 February next year in Morocco),” said Bagabo. He noted that the invitation follows a great improvement for the team in the world ranking which saw Rwanda jump from 40th to 25th position and 20th to 6th in Africa after participating in this year’s World Taekwondo Championship held in Russia in May. Meanwhile, the national team trainer Irene Allan Bagire disclosed that the team has started daily (six-hour) intensive training at Amahoro indoor stadium as they seek to make a memorable debut in the annual competition. According to Bagire, the country will be represented by four players, who include; Regis Iyumva and Frederick Mwemezi in the men’s category as well as Delphine Uwababyeyi and Aline Ndacyayisenga in the women’s fray. Rwanda performed failed to win any medal at the just concluded All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville with Uwababyeyi and Martin Nduwayezu finishing 4th and 5th respectively in the women and men’s individual performances. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
