Minister of Sports activities Nelly Mukazayire has urged younger athletes throughout Africa to embrace sports activities as a robust software for constructing character and shaping their identification.
She made the remarks whereas addressing 34 feminine athletes on the Lycée de Kigali Gymnasium throughout the opening of the second version of the BAL4HER camp, a week-long basketball improvement initiative organised alongside the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs.
Working from Might 23 to twenty-eight, the camp is a part of the BAL playoff facet occasions going down in Kigali by way of Might 31. It has introduced collectively members aged between 18 and 28 from a number of African international locations.
The opening ceremony attracted distinguished figures from the basketball world, together with FIBA Corridor of Fame Class of 2026 inductee Clarisse Machanguana, former WNBA participant and present BAL ambassador Chiney Ogwumike, and BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.
Mukazayire inspired the athletes to take advantage of the rising alternatives in ladies’s sports activities by growing self-discipline, management, and self-belief.
“Sport builds character. It ought to grow to be a part of your identification,” she stated.
“Younger ladies ought to recognise that alternatives like these weren’t obtainable earlier than. We have already got the flexibility inside ourselves to excel, and moments like this camp will not be solely about private development, but additionally about turning into pioneers for the subsequent era.”
The opening day featured intensive coaching periods centered on endurance, velocity, and tactical improvement underneath skilled coaches, together with former Rwanda nationwide crew head coach Cheikh Sarr, who at present leads Senegal’s nationwide basketball crew and is overseeing the camp.
In keeping with Sarr, 20 athletes can be chosen from the camp to take part in a showcase recreation on the ultimate day, whereas a number of standout gamers can be monitored over the subsequent yr as a part of a expertise identification programme aimed toward serving to athletes safe sports activities scholarships.
“This programme began in Senegal, and our aim is to create a transparent pathway for ladies to entry the identical requirements and alternatives at present obtainable to males in basketball,” Sarr stated.
Ramla Umunezero, a Rwandan level guard for REG Ladies Basketball Membership, described the initiative as an necessary platform for younger African gamers.
“Right here, we’re making new pals, and studying from skilled gamers from throughout Africa will assist enhance our mentality and strategy to the sport,” she stated.
