This year’s Genocide memorial handball tournament, scheduled for June 4-5, is expected to attract teams from eight regional countries, according to the organizers, Rwanda Handball Federation.

FERWAHAND secretary-general Jean Paul Ngarambe said they already sent out invitations to clubs in Zambia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and DR Congo.

"Each country will be allowed to field as many teams in either gender as possible, this is meant to make the tournament more competitive,” he said on Thursday.

He said that participating teams, in addition to competing for the trophy, will also visit memorial sites and be briefed about the consequences of bad leadership in light of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Last year, APR overcame Ngome handball club of Tanzania 26-22 to win the men’s title, while APPEGA Gahengeri won the women’s title after defeating University of Rwanda’s College of Education 15-2 in the title decider.

Since 2014, the Ministry of Sports and Culture, and the Rwanda National Olympic Committee, have been encouraging national sports federations to organize memorial tournaments in honour of players, coaches, administrators and fans of their respective sports disciplines killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

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