The President of the Fédération Rwandaise du Sport Scolaire (FRSS), Father Innocent Gatete, has urged Rwandan teams representing the country in the 2022 Federation of East African Secondary School Sports Associations (FEASSSA) games to observe discipline and be accountable during the competition.
Father Gatete was speaking during the flagging-off event at Lycee de facto Kigali, on Tuesday, September 13.
He addressed more than 152 students and 155 staff members from different high schools’ under 16 teams that travelled to Tanzania for the regional school competitions.
The games kick off on September 14 and run up to September 27 in Arusha, Tanzania.
Gatete said that discipline and solidarity are the key to success. He wished the teams success, saying that it will come from the package of unity, friendship, solidarity and discipline that they will show during the tournament.
"You are ambassadors of the country. You carry the flag of Rwanda and this is the time to build a good image of the country in the tournament. We have thousands of students across the country and you were selected because you have many things you are good at, you should maximise your potential,” Gatete told the teams.
"During local competitions, you have been competing against schools but at this level you are one team called Team Rwanda. You will be competing against other countries. We need solidarity, unity and discipline among you.”
Levis Mugisha, the captain of ESSA Nyarugunga Volleyball team, said that their main target is to win the competition.
"This is our third time to participate in the competition. We have learnt much and this year’s target is to be champions in our discipline,” she noted.
The competition brings together high schools from the East African Community partner states. There are teams from Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan and Uganda. Teams compete in different sports disciplines.
Rwanda has sent 16 teams (girls and boys) in sports disciplines including football, volleyball, basketball, handball, tennis, swimming and athletics, to the event. FEASSSA is an annual tournament organized by the Federation of East Africa Secondary School Sports Association. The games are hosted by one of the EAC partner states.