It has taken me just a few days to sit down down and write about August 1 as a result of I wished the expertise to settle earlier than making an attempt to clarify what I witnessed on the shores of Lake Kivu.
Saturday, August 1, 2026, clearly marked the inaugural Rwanda Swim/Skate Endurance Problem in Karongi—the primary occasion of its form within the nation.
As president and co-founder of Ishyaka Swim Membership, I had spent months working alongside Vincent Nemeyimana, president of the Rwanda Skating Federation, to convey this concept to life.
Each our organisations are dedicated to increasing equitable entry to the alternatives sport can provide younger folks throughout Rwanda. Partnering felt just like the pure option to multiply the impression of our work.
From the second the concept was born, we coordinated intently with one another and with the management of Karongi District to construct what we believed could be a memorable occasion. None of us imagined simply how extraordinary it might grow to be.
It demanded creativity, persistence and, above all, belief.
Karongi District believed in an concept that had by no means been tried earlier than. Collectively, we recreated a 25-metre swimming pool by constructing a floating deck off the shore at Golf Eden Rock Resort and discovering methods to anchor lane dividers to it. On the identical time, we designed a skating course alongside the hilly ring highway overlooking Lake Kivu.
Simply as importantly, we requested ourselves a unique query: what really prevents younger folks from competing?
The solutions had been apparent—membership in affiliated golf equipment and the price of travelling to competitions.
So as a substitute of accepting these obstacles, we eliminated them.
Working inside a restricted price range meant counting on volunteers who believed within the mission sufficient to dedicate what turned a 12-hour day of steady—if immensely rewarding—work.
By the point Vincent and I arrived in Karongi, many of the items had been already in place. Golf Eden Rock's waterfront had been remodeled into a contest venue. The skating route had been mapped and remapped alongside the Rwanda Nationwide Police. Medals and occasion merchandise had arrived, and native authorities had been prepared.
Race day lastly got here.
Ninety athletes had pre-registered.
Then… nearly no one confirmed up.
For a short second, I questioned whether or not the occasion was really going to occur.
Then, as is usually the case in Rwanda, folks arrived—just a bit later than anticipated.
And so they saved coming.
By the tip of the day, 182 swimmers and skaters had competed. An estimated 1,200 spectators lined the lakeshore, whereas one other 500 gathered alongside the roadside to observe the skaters velocity by way of Karongi.
Native DJs, joined by others who had travelled from Rubavu, saved the ambiance alive all through the day. Older siblings cheered for youthful ones. Youthful kids appeared as much as the older athletes with admiration.
My coronary heart raced each time the announcer referred to as out the skaters finishing one other lap of the ring highway earlier than they flew previous like rock stars.
The volunteers—some shut pals, others full strangers who merely wished to assist—labored tirelessly to maintain every thing operating.
Swimmers watched the skaters with amazement. Skaters stood mesmerised by the wonder and rhythm of open-water racing.
Groups that hardly ever have the chance to satisfy due to journey prices and competitors charges inspired each other, laughed collectively and shared conversations alongside the shore.
It was proof that whereas athletes might compete towards each other in sport, they’ll nonetheless construct friendships past it.
For a lot of dad and mom, it was the primary time that they had ever watched their kids compete in an organised occasion after years of attending coaching classes.
And, a lot to my daughter's embarrassment, I couldn't cease a tear rolling down my cheek as I positioned a gold medal round her neck—not as soon as, however thrice that day.
Pause for a second and take into consideration that.
Rwanda is an athletic nation. We rightly deal with sport as a nationwide precedence.
But aggressive sport nonetheless largely depends upon membership or federation affiliation, and most competitions stay concentrated in Kigali—regardless that many proficient athletes stay elsewhere.
For numerous households in Karongi on August 1, affiliation wasn't the impediment.
Journey prices weren't the impediment.
The athletes themselves actually weren't the impediment.
The barrier was entry.
On that day, two organisations merely eliminated it.
No entry payment.
No requirement to belong to a membership or federation.
Transport supplied for groups that in any other case couldn’t afford the journey.
The outcome exceeded something we had imagined.
However creativity alone might by no means have achieved that.
Neither might ardour.
The occasion succeeded as a result of Karongi District believed within the imaginative and prescient and stood firmly behind it.
Native authorities processed permits effectively and remained versatile every time plans inevitably modified.
The Rwanda Nationwide Police ensured the skating route remained protected all through the day.
The Rwanda Defence Drive Marine Unit spent practically ten hours on Lake Kivu defending—and inspiring—younger swimmers, a few of whom I’ve coached since they had been 5 years outdated.
Ambulances remained on standby all through the competitors. Fortunately, they had been by no means wanted.
We’ve got already begun discussing a second version with the Rwanda Skating Federation for 2027, whereas Golf Eden Rock has generously provided to depart the swimming lanes in place so athletes can proceed coaching past race day.
However I don't need August 1 to be remembered merely as an occasion that two organisations managed to organise as soon as.
What I witnessed satisfied me of one thing a lot larger.
The obstacles we spent months dismantling shouldn’t have to be dismantled by solely two organisations yearly.
Golf equipment, federations, resorts, sponsors, districts, communities…everybody has one thing to contribute—a stretch of shoreline, a protected highway, a spare pair of skates, a volunteer's afternoon, or monetary help.
Karongi confirmed what turns into potential when these contributions come collectively.
The outcome was greater than a sporting occasion.
It was a day that belonged to kids who too usually watch from the sidelines as a substitute of collaborating.
That’s how I hope future editions are constructed—not by one organisation, however by communities pooling their sources to create alternatives that encourage younger folks whereas additionally attracting guests and funding.
That’s how these occasions cease being annual exceptions and as a substitute grow to be a part of the tradition of Rwandan sport.
As a result of what I noticed on August 1 was unforgettable:
A district that absolutely embraced an bold thought.
Two sports activities discovering they belonged collectively.
And a shoreline stuffed with younger athletes who, for one outstanding Saturday, by no means needed to ask permission for the possibility to compete.
Elise Deeqa Mugabo is the co-founder and President of Ishyaka Swim Membership (Rwandan NNGO) and Mates of Ishyaka (US 501(c)(3)).
Vincent Nemeyimana is President of Rwanda Skating Federation, and a toddler rights lawyer.
