University of Rwanda (UR)-Huye women basketball team last weekend failed to turn up for a league match due to lack of resources. They had been scheduled to play The Hoops in Kigali after the resumption of the national basketball league. Besides losing two points as a result, they will also have to pay a fine of Rwf300,000 to the Rwanda Basketball Federation (Ferwaba). Such is the poor state of affairs in the sports sphere in local institutions of higher learning, a departure from their traditional role of helping to nurture sports talent that went on to represent the country, especially in basketball and volleyball, according to several sports enthusiasts. One of the challenges is related to financing. Tertiary institutions are faced with budgetary constraints and this represents a major handicap as it means they are unable to do such things as providing scholarships to young sportsmen and women, and hiring top-level coaches. We often use students (as coaches) and only employ a few coaches because the institution cant recruit enough (professional) coaches, said Albert Kayiranga, the sports officer at UR Huye. He stated that they are aware of this challenge and are trying to devise solutions. For instance, he said, the UR sports office has engaged the administration and asked for a scholarship programme for young sports talent as it used to be the case before and are still waiting to see what will be done about it.” “If the request is approved, we believe it’ll be helpful. In an interview with Times Sport, Desire Mugwiza, the president of Ferwaba, acknowledged that UR-Huyes situation is worrying because they used to produce “great players” for the country. He recalled that UR-Huye used to be one of the best teams in the country and their active participation helped strengthen the league. Mugwiza said there is a need to appreciate the importance of sports in schools and tertiary institutions. “It is important that schools understand the importance of having strong teams in the league, whether in basketball or other disciplines, because it is beneficial. Playing is still a profitable job, he said. We really need university leaders to understand this and work with us to grow the sport. The national football league continues in the men’s category Friday when defending champions Patriots host IPRC-Huye at IPRC-Kigali court with IPRC-Kigali taking on IPRC-Musanze at the same venue. At Petit-Stade in Remera, Espoir face Rusizi, while UGB take on Tigers. In the women category, APR will play against GS Marie Reine while defending champions The Hoops face REG.
