The top six teams in the national volleyball league (men and women) will feature in this year’s Genocide Memorial Tournament, which is scheduled for June 4-5.

According to the local volleyball federation’s Executive Secretary, Christian Hatuminana, the top six teams in men and women categories will be joined by invited teams from Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Congo Brazzaville, DR Congo, Botswana, Cameroon, South Sudan and Tunisia.

The tournament is held in remembrance of the volleyball fraternity, who lost over 50 members including players, coaches, and administrators that were killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

"Our aim is to continue to unite people through the sport of volleyball. We have been organising the event each year to build strong relationships between the people of Rwanda, East Africa, and Africa and all over the world. We have to say ‘never again’ to Genocide,” Hatumimana said.

Last year, Rayon Sports and Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) won the Genocide Memorial Tournament titles in the men and women categories, after beating APR 3-2 and Nairobi Water 3-0 at Amahoro Indoor Stadium, respectively.

Since 1995, the Rwanda Volleyball Federation (FRVB) has organised an annual Genocide memorial tournament. In 2012, the Genocide Memorial Tournament was delayed due to financial problems.

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