Rwandan female fencer Tufaha Uwihoreye will attend a ten-month training camp in South Africa, starting January 1, according to the Rwanda Fencing Federation.

"The objective is to have young fencers like Uwihoreye to be eligible to contest on the international stage.

For us as a federation, it is a milestone given the resource challenges that we face. She is the best fencer we have, which is why she was selected,” said Lionel Ruzigana, the federation technical director.

Speaking about the camp, Uwihoreye said: "I expect to undergo rigorous training in all three weapons — epee, sabre and foil — alongside selected participants from other African countries, I hope to gain a lot from this training camp.”

In May 2014, then 20-year-old Uwihoreye represented Rwanda at the Youth African Games in Gaborone, Botswana.

Uwihoreye was last week crowned the 2017 female national champion, while Darcy Nyabagabo took the men’s title. Nyabagabo qualified to represent Rwanda at the 2018 Under-17 Africa Fencing Championship scheduled to be held in Nigeria.

Last year, Rwanda Fencing Federation sent player-coach Albert Ngabonziza on a one-year scholarship at the International Fencing Masters School in Dakar, Senegal.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw