African Sports Monthly International Women's Day Special Edition | Page 12

In 2010 authorities
introduced the Umurenge
Kagame Cup that attracted
416 teams from every sector
in 30 districts across the
country to compete at a
final that were held at the
25,000 capacity Amahoro
national stadium in Kigali.

Rwandan Volleyball Players celebrating a victory at a CAVB sanctioned
tournament

Published reports indicate
that between 2003 and
2010 the country registered
a growth in the participation
sports, mostly so in soccer,
which doubled.

There was also significant progress in the participation of other sporting disciplines such as
volleyball with the number of participants rising from 237 to 1916 while in cycling the
numbers rose from 128 to 3279.

Cycling has grown in popularity, thanks to the annual “Tour of Rwanda” which drew cycling
teams from various parts of the globe such as Australia, USA, Europe and other parts of
Africa. By last year (2015) seven editions of the event have been held thus far and the signs of
growth are encouraging.
On the international front, the country has been hosting a series of sporting events starting
with the regional CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup tournament which it hosted for a number of
times to promote the improvement of sports standards, upgrading of facilities and improving
the country’s image as a viable sporting nation.

The Draw for the 2016 CHAN Tournament graced by the President of the Country himself: Paul Kagame