THE International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allocated four wild card slots to Rwanda ahead of the 2010 inaugural Youth Olympic Games set for August 14-26 in Singapore.

The IOC’s Department for Olympic Games confirmed to the local Olympic Committee in Rwanda last week that wild cards for boxing, athletics and swimming will be given to selected Rwandan athletes.

According to IOC, Rwanda has been offered two slots for a boy and a girl in athletics, one slot for a boy in boxing and one slot for a girl in swimming.

The local Olympic Committee has until September 1 to name the athletes before submitting the list of selected athletes to the international body. The IOC with the help of a tripartite commission will then decide whether to give or deny the wild cards to the named athletes.

Apart from the wild cards, Rwanda still has a chance to beat minimum qualifications to enable them have more representatives at the Youth Olympic Games.

Boxing and athletics have to qualify their respective athletes through the 2010 World Youth Championships.

Mixed-gender events and three-on-three basketball are among the games for the inaugural Summer Youth Olympics due in Singapore.

Some 3,594 athletes will compete in Singapore in 26 sports comprising 201 events. The number of sports in the programme is identical to the London 2012 programme.

In a related development, Gloriose Mukamabano, a student of Group Scolaire St. Joseph Kabgayi has represented Rwanda at the Young Reporters Training Camp (YRTC) which climaxes on August 10 in Singapore.

Gloriose Mukamabano, 17 was selected by the Rwanda National Olympic Committee (RNOC) to attend the training camp which precedes the inaugural Youth Olympic Games which will also be held in Singapore.

During the camp, she will be given the opportunity to undergo professional media training conducted by leading academic institutions and media organisations in Singapore.

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