The fifth edition of Taekwondo Genocide Memorial Tournament will be staged in Rubavu District, the first time it will be held outside Kigali, Times Sport has learned.

The one-day event, organised in honour of the over one million lives lost during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, will be contested by a total 120 participants in three different categories, namely elite women, senior men and para-taekwondo for players with disabilities.

According to Rwanda Taekwondo Federation’s secretary general Boniface Mbonigaba, the competition has been moved to the border district of Rubavu because Petit Stade in Kigali will be undergoing renovation in June.

"We limited the number of participants to 120 for two main reasons: One, because it will be taking place out of Kigali, and secondly, because we wanted to give a chance to fans of the sport in other parts of the country to watch it,” Mbonigaba said.

He said that there will be guest teams from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Uganda, potentially making the tournament more entertaining and competitive than previous editions.

For the first time, refugee teams from Mahama and Kiziba camps have been invited and they confirmed their participation.

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