Minister of Sports activities Nelly Mukazayire has urged younger athletes throughout Africa to embrace sports activities as a strong instrument for constructing character and shaping their identification.
She made the remarks whereas addressing 34 feminine athletes on the Lycée de Kigali Gymnasium through 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 Could 23 to twenty-eight, the camp is a part of the BAL playoff facet occasions going down in Kigali by means of Could 31. It has introduced collectively contributors aged between 18 and 28 from a number of African nations.
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 girls’s sports activities by creating self-discipline, management, and self-belief.
“Sport builds character. It ought to develop into a part of your identification,” she stated.
“Younger girls ought to recognise that alternatives like these weren’t out there earlier than. We have already got the flexibility inside ourselves to excel, and moments like this camp usually are not solely about private progress, but in addition about turning into pioneers for the subsequent era.”
The opening day featured intensive coaching periods centered on endurance, pace, and tactical improvement beneath skilled coaches, together with former Rwanda nationwide group head coach Cheikh Sarr, who at the moment leads Senegal’s nationwide basketball group and is overseeing the camp.
In keeping with Sarr, 20 athletes will likely be chosen from the camp to take part in a showcase sport on the ultimate day, whereas just a few standout gamers will likely be monitored over the subsequent yr as a part of a expertise identification programme geared toward serving to athletes safe sports activities scholarships.
“This programme began in Senegal, and our objective is to create a transparent pathway for ladies to entry the identical requirements and alternatives at the moment out there to males in basketball,” Sarr stated.
Ramla Umunezero, a Rwandan level guard for REG Girls Basketball Membership, described the initiative as an vital 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 method to the sport,” she stated.
