Bayigamba hands over office to Munyabagisha

Outgoing National Olympic Committee (RNOSC) president Robert Bayigamba has officially handed over to his successor Amb. Valens Munyabagisha.The handover ceremony took place on Tuesday at RNOSC offices at Amahoro National Stadium. Munyabagisha was elected unopposed by the General Assembly on Saturday. Munyabagisha and his team will be in charge for the next four years.Munyabagisha, in his remarks, congratulated the outgoing committee for the work done and promised that his team will work even harder because a lot is expected from them.“There is a lot that the outgoing committee has done and they have promised to be around to offer any assistance that we may need from them because the task at hand is not easy,” he explained.The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sports and Culture, Lt. Col. Patrice Rugambwa, advised both the outgoing and new committee to maintain a good relationship and legacy of the Olympic Committee.He said: “The transition has been so successful just like the election that was democratic. The outgoing committee should be around to assist the new committee. Both presidents should get some time and meet to continue exchanging ideas.”Elected on the promise of unity, transparency and focus on youth sports, Munyabagisha, the former permanent secretary in the now-defunct Ministry of Internal Security, stated his intention to improve sport.“As you all know sports lags behind compared to the other sectors in this country. This is the reason why we need solid change. However, in order to achieve what we all want as sports fraternity, we need and must work together,” Munyabagisha said in his acceptance speech.One of his immediate challenges is the issue of transparency and accountability within member federations.editorial@newtimes.co.rw