Up to 50 coaches from different local sports federations and officials from the Ministry of Sports and Culture (MINISPOC) and Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) are currently attending a coaching clinic at Hotel La Palisse, Nyandungu.

The training was organised by Special Olympics Africa, in partnership with Special Olympics Rwanda.

The clinic, which started on Monday and slated to end on Friday, consists special training modules aimed at developing a pool of master trainers who would in turn  train other coaches countrywide for athletes with intellectual disability (ID).

"One of the ways Special Olympics Movement transforms the lives of people with ID is through sports, empowering this marginalised group to become active members of society,” Charles Nyambe, the president and managing director of Special Olympics Africa, told Times Sport.

"Working with leading sports federations, institutions and ministries helps special Olympics coaches in Rwanda improve their own performance, and understand and provide enhanced levels of coaching to athletes with disabilities,” he added.

Special Olympics Rwanda presently operates effectively in 20 districts but there is a target to extend it to all the country’s thirty districts.

Officials also want to register up to 23,000 athletes, 25,000 coaches, 45,000 families and 500 young athletes.

Special Olympics Rwanda also holds sports programmes in local competitions.

The movement participated in World Summer Games in Dublin, Republic of Ireland (2003), in Shanghai, China (2007), Greece (2011).

editorial@newtimes.co.rw