Following his recent reelection as president of the Rwanda Table Tennis Federation (RTTF), John Bosco Birungi has laid out a five-year strategic plan to push forward the sport in the country. Birungi unveiled the plan during the end-of-year Extraordinary General Meeting held last weekend, at Amahoro Stadium, noting that the strategic roadmap will focus on player development, facility development, training of coaches and umpires and acquiring equipment. He also said that there will be a special focus on Para Table Tennis – for players with disabilities. “We are proud of what we have achieved in the last 3 years,” he said. “New clubs, new initiatives and more players are emerging through different training programmes for children at the centres of excellence. The future of table tennis in Rwanda is bright.” Birungi emphasizes that the achievements registered in the sport so far is proof that his federation is on the right path, but “we will never rest on our laurels.” Having assumed office as RTTF president in 2017 after years of turbulence that threatened to rip the game in its infancy, Birungi has since steered table tennis to one of the most active sports in Rwanda with several groundbreaking initiatives. With his leadership, the table tennis federation – and the sport at large – has now been recognised by the Ministry for Sports and Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee. “The strides we have made are not about or because of me, they are a result of hard work from all the committee members, and I thank each of them for their commitment and contribution.” Among the major goals in the newly established strategic plan, Rwanda looks to become one of Africa’s top ranked table tennis nations, and have two players among the best five on the continent. With the addition of players’ representative position, the new RTTF committee consists of nine members. Full committee: John Bosco Birungi (President), Maurice Burasa (Vice President), Paul Ntaganda (Secretary General), Fontaine Mukamuhizi (Treasurer), Apollinaire Nyiraziraje (Women’s Coordinator), Cynthia Rukeratabaro (Clubs Coordinator), Alphonse Muhama (Schools Program Coordinator), Claire Iriza (Para Table Tennis coordinator), Regis François Ishimwe (Players’ Representative).
