Rwanda is set to host the inaugural edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) from May 16 to 30 at the Kigali Arena.

This will be the first professional league run by the NBA outside North America, and it will see 12 clubs from 12 different African countries rub shoulders in Kigali.

As the highest tier league on the continent, the highly anticipated tournament has potential to spur growth for the sports arena.

In an exclusive interview with Times Sport, Oleg Karambizi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Sports said that the tournament will further boost the country’s ambitions of developing the sports sector to a professional level.

Hosting and organizing events of this caliber, not only promotes Rwanda as a destination and as a county, but it also compels the local sports sector to work hard and strive to meet the level of professionalism needed to perform not only in hosting international games, but also in exporting and marketing Rwandan talents in professional leagues across the world, he said.

"We have our local club Patriots playing in the Basketball Africa League, we expect that our players will get exposure to scouts from professional leagues and related opportunities.  The tourney will compel the government to aggressively look into enforcing sports development policies and programs to bring into fruition the dreams and aspirations of the many young talents who live with the hope of becoming icons and giants in sports,” he said.

Commenting about the potential benefits, Karambizi said that Rwanda aims to become a sports destination and that hosting this kind of event in Rwanda is proof that the country is on the right path.

 "We are not just looking at promoting Rwanda’s visibility, but also positioning our sports sector into the regional and international arena as a pool with potential promising talents. As Rwanda has been positioning itself as a MICE destination, the sport industry is one that can also play a significant role in the country’s economic development. Hosting events comes with economic gains. The country’s landscape offers opportunities for Sports Tourism projects which is a very lucrative sector,” Karambizi said.

He also said the recently approved revised Sports Development Policy provides for the development of sports tourism and the increased involvement of private investments in sports.

Patriots BBC during camp preparing BAL in May. / Dan Nsengiyumva