Minister urges on fighting spirit

BY HAMZA NKUUTU

Youth, Culture and Sports minister Joseph Habineza (right) has challenged Rwandan sportsmen and women to learn to portray a fighting spirit every time they are competing.
The ever-lively minister made the appeal during the closing ceremony of the inaugural BCR Open 2007 at Nyarutarama Tennis Club on Sunday.
"We must thank the management of Nyarutarama Tennis Club for organizing this tournament and BCR for sponsoring it,” Habineza told a relatively large gathering that also included President Paul Kagame.
He also expressed his gratitude to all participants (winners and losers), before noting that, "We’ve had a very good tournament with some entertaining matches and we hope for the same even next year.”
"However, there is one important lesson I have learnt from this tournament and it’s about the fighting spirit.
"Our sportsmen and women lack the fighting spirit whenever they are competing yet it’s very vital in any given competition,” minister Habineza stressed.
He acknowledged that Rwandan sportsmen and women not only in tennis but in all other fields tend to accept defeat even amidst competitions.
"You (referring to Rwandan sportsmen and women) should learn to have that fighting spirit during games but also you should exercise fair play, whether you’ve won or lost.”
In a related development, the minister challenged other local commercial banks to follow BCR’s example in supporting sports in the country.
The BCR sponsored week-long tournament attracted a big turn up in terms of participants and it was played in four different categories.
Among the winners of their respective categories was President Kagame whose partnership with Fidel Kamanzi beat Theoneste Bahati and Rodriguez 6-7/6-3/6-3 in the amateur doubles category final.