THE Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) have organized a seminar on Sports and Peace in Kigali from August 30-September 1.

The Cecafa general secretary Nicholas Musonye told Times Sport yesterday that all the eleven Cecafa Member Associations have accepted to take part in the workshop which will explore ways and means of using Sport in general and football in particular to promote peace in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania has also been invited to attend the seminar.

CECAFA which also has programmes on HIV Aids, campaign Against Malaria, Friendship and Development have partnered with IOC before when they jointly organised Sports for Health seminar in Dar, Tanzania two years ago.

The Kigali seminar will be hosted by Rwanda Olympic Committee. The seminar will also be attended by all eleven National Olympic Committees of CECAFA Zone and DRC.

The International Olympic Committee boss Jacques Rogge, who is due to visit the country on September 1, will address the workshop on the closing day.

Others speakers will include IOC Director Tommy Ganda Sithole, ANOCA President General Lassana Palenfo and Rwanda’s Minister of Sports, Youth and Culture, Protais Mitali.

Musonye has thanked IOC and Rwanda NOC for accepting his request to organise a seminar in Rwanda and explore ways of promoting peace in Cecafa region through sports.

Musonye, who has been coordinating the seminar with Sithole lauded the IOC for engaging Cecafa to promote peace in troubled areas.

"We will continue to engage with IOC, CAF and FIFA to organize more seminars and workshops for the region on various topics,” said Musonye.

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