Habineza gives New Year deadline for RNOC and federations to legalise operations

Sports and culture minister Joseph Habineza has given January,1,2009 as the deadline for all sports federations and the national Olympics committee, Rwanda National Olympic Committee (RNOC) to legalise their operations.

In a stunning revelation on Saturday during RNOC’s extra-ordinary general assembly held at Novotel hotel, it was revealed that RNOC and her member federations are operating illegally.

The meeting which was attended by a few federations was graced by the Minister of Sport and Culture Joseph Habineza.

RNOC Jurisdiction committee president Philbert Rutagengwa confirmed that the national Olympic Committee and her members (local sports federations) are operating illegally.

Of all the twenty federations which constitute the local Olympic committee, it’s only the Karate (Ferwaka) and chess (Ferwade) federations which meet the new drafted rules and regulations.

The others including the local football governing body (Ferwafa), the volleyball federation (FRVB) and Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC) are still operating under the 1987 law.

The Sports Ministry has given a maximum of two months to all federations to meet the legal requirements.

Habineza said, "You (federations) must possess the legal status by January 1, 2009. Any federation which fails to do so will be shut down,”

"We have tried our best to help all federations acquire the legal statute but there has been no response,” Habineza said.

After realising that only two federations are legally operating in Rwanda, the election date for the next RNOC executive committee will be known when all federation meet the legal requirements.

The incumbent RNOC president, Ignace Beraho said, "I don’t expect any one to talk about the elections without meeting the legal requirements which enables them to operate.”

"I will not run for the third term but this issue must be sorted out before the next administration takes over and this will help to prepare successfully for the 2012 London Olympic Games,”Beraho said.

The incumbent administration led by Beraho’s two four-year terms in office expires this year.

Beraho declared his intentions of not running for another term after another disastrous Olympic Games campaign in Beijing.

In his eight years at the helm of the Olympic Committee, Rwanda has recorded one Olympic medal in Jean de Dieu Nkundabera who won a bronze medal during the 2004 Athens Paralympics Games.

Now, the authoritarian RNOC boss has embarked on coaching national athletes to realize what he calls his dream of seeing Rwanda win a medal at the 2012 London Games.

Some of the athletes under his guidance include Sylvain Rukundo and marathon runner Epiphanie Nyirabarame.

The veteran administrator also says that he has plans to introduce Canoe Kayaking, another Olympic sport in the country.

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