After guiding AS Kigali to third place in the ongoing Azam Rwanda Premier League, head coach Eric Nshimiyimana has turned focus to winning the 8th edition of the East Africa Local Authorities Sports and Culture Associations (EALASCA) Games title.

The annual games are scheduled to get underway today and will run until December 3 in Kisumu, Kenya.

AS Kigali left the country Friday afternoon with five teams from City of Kigali that will represent Rwanda in five categories namely; football, volleyball, basketball and netball plus cultural troupe.

"What’s important now is to win the EALASCA Games title, because it would be a very good motivation and would boost us when we return to league action,” Nshimiyimana told reporters before departing.

The former national team; Amavubi head coach believes that the tournament will help to raise the level of his side and getting match fitness for the players who have not been playing in the first team.

"We will get time to assess our players who have not been getting time to play many and I hope it is a good boost for the team as we need more games together,” he further noted

The other three teams are Kigali Volleyball Club (men) while Nyarugenge District have sent a women volleyball team; Kicukiro District sent a basketball team (men) while Gasabo sent a netball team.

In the cultural dance category, Rwanda will be represented by City of Kigali’s cultural troupe, Indatirwabahizi.

EALASCA was formed in 2008 with an objective to promote sports and culture in all the local authorities in the East African Community.

The games are expected to attract over 1000 participants from hosts Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Republic of South Sudan.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw