RNOC pick team for Glasgow Games

RWANDA NATIONAL Olympic Committee (RNOC) has named 33 athletes and officials who will represent the country at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games are set to attract more than 6,500 athletes and officials from 71 nations and territories competing in 17 sports disciplines in 11 days of competition from July 23 to August 3. Speaking to Times Sport on Tuesday, Chef de Mission Serge Mwambali said that the team will be comprised of 21 athletes and 12 officials. The athletes were selected depending on the quota given by the organisers of the Commonwealth Games. “We are starting a month-long residential camp to enable athletes to focus on the games. We are confident the athletes will perform well at Glasgow 2014,” he noted. Initially, the country had allocated slots for seven swimmers, 27 athletes, eight boxers, 15 cyclists, seven judo players, four weightlifters, adding up to a total of 41 males and 27 female athletes. But the final team will now be made up of only 11 athletes, two boxers, six cyclists, one weightlifter and one swimmer. In athletics, veteran runner Dieudonne Disi will lead the team alongside other marathon runners such as Jean Pierre Mvuyekure and Epiphanie Nyirabarame in the women’s race. Joining them will be five 10,000 metres runners, Eric Sebahire, Syliaque Ndayikengurukiye and Felicien Muhitira (men) and Claudette Mukasakindi and Clementine Mukandanga (women). Others are Pontien Ntawuyirushintege (5,000m), Emmanuel Ntakiyimana and Thimothee Bagina (800m), Jean Maurice Bikorimana and Olivier Nshingiro (boxing), while Theogene Hakizimana will compete in the Para-Sport Power lifting category. The lone swimmer, Patrick Rukundo will compete in 100m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 50m butterfly, and 50m freestyle respectively. The cycling team is comprised of Hadi Janvier, Gasore Hategeka, Valens Ndayisenga, Adrien Niyonshuti, Jean Bosco Nsengimana and Bonaventure Uwizeyimana, all to compete in the men’s individual time race and road race respectively. Rwanda has only competed in one previous Commonwealth Games, the 2010 Games in Delhi, having only joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 2009.

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RNOC pick team for Glasgow Games