RWANDA Basketball Federation has expressed its desire to their Ugandan counterparts to have the Zone V U19 Championships postponed because of the country’s 20th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi slated for April and July.
RWANDA Basketball Federation has expressed its desire to their Ugandan counterparts to have the Zone V U19 Championships postponed because of the country’s 20th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi slated for April and July.Speaking to local media this week, Ferwaba president Desire Mugwiza said: "We requested the Uganda basketball federation to have the U19 competition moved since it is a sad period for Rwanda and, usually, we don’t have any sports activities in the country during that period.”During that period every year, all sports activities come to a standstill as the country remembers the sportsmen and women, fans and administrators who passed away during the Genocide.Among the key players killed during the Genocide include, Emmanuel Ntarugera (Gisembe), a well-known basketball player for Espoir.If Uganda turns down Rwanda’s request and goes ahead with the tournament, only five countries might participate. They are Tanzania, Kenya, Egypt, Burundi and Uganda.In a related development, the City of Mombasa will host this year’s African Zone 5 basketball club championships from August 25 to 31.