The Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee (RNOSC) has said that they are optimistic that more athletes will secure tickets to next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games.

As of Monday, October 12, only two marathoners Félicien Muhitira and John Hakizimana have qualified for the world’s biggest sports event, which was moved from this year to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

While addressing the RNOSC annual general assembly on Sunday, Valens Munyabagisha, the body’s President, said that athletes in individual sports and teams will continue to be facilitated in the qualification tournaments.

"There are still athletes in the qualification race and we have to help them represent us well,” he said. "We are in talks with their [respective] federations in order to find means to give them all they need for competitions ahead.”

Besides Muhitira and Hakizimana, RNOSC has also pledged to support middle distance runners James Sugira and Marthe Yankurije in the qualification process to earn Olympic minima in 10,000m category.

Meanwhile, the African qualifiers in men and women’s beach volleyball resume next month. Rwanda will host the women’s second round on the shores of Lake Kivu, in Rubavu District.

Rwanda still have four teams – two in men’s and two in women’s category – in the beach volleyball qualifiers after stunningly moving past the first round earlier this year.

Road to Paris 2024

Munyabagisha also revealed that the local Olympic body has established a project to set up Olympic teams that will train on a non-stop basis until the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"In the 2021-2024 period, RNOSC will closely work with a select federations and the Ministry of Sports to prepare athletes at the highest level for the Paris 2024 Games.”