Obama and Kagame: Two leaders with passion for sports

On January 20, 2009, president-elect Barack Hussein Obama II will officially take to the White House as not only the 44th President of the United States but the first black man or woman to occupy the highest political office in world. When Obama, an African American of Kenyan roots beat his rival, Republican John McCain in the race for the US presidency, history was made and the entire world didn’t take long to appreciate the power of true democracy. “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. “It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America,” said Obama in his historic acceptance speech at Grand Park in his hometown Chicago. Obama’s run up to his extraordinary victory has boosted people’s interest in international politics, particularly in the US. In the last 20 months or so alone, the name Barack Obama has become synonymous with people’s day-to-day conversation, in the streets, bars, restaurants, workplaces, offices, taxis and even stadiums! I bet that 90 percent of anyone of you (reading this) with access to a computer and internet, have at one time or another tried to get to know who Barack Obama is and I am sure you must have gotten the little or much you needed to know about the man of the moment. God bless the black man. My own curiosity about the United States next president led me to this; when Obama finished high school in Hawaii, his entry in his final yearbook gave no indication of the momentous journey that lay ahead. “We go play hoop,” was Obama’s message as he bade farewell to the years when, by his own admission, he was at his happiest on the basketball court. In the final days of his election campaign sport was again on Obama’s agenda, as he called for the American college football system to be amended. As was his stance on all the major issues of the campaign, Obama was calling for change, while John McCain was happy with the status quo. “I think it is about time we had playoffs in college football,” Obama said. “I’m fed up with these computer rankings and this and that and the other.” Unique leaders In other countries bar United States and Rwanda, it’s hard to imagine a president having the same impact as Obama is bound to if he was to address the issue of weakened sport in their respective countries. But Obama currently has kudos unparalleled in modern politics and it would be naive to think that the sporting world won’t try and capitalise on this. Obama’s stance on sports reminds me of our own President Kagame whose interest in sport has been unrivalled by any other political leader until Obama’s arrival on the scene —Cecafa/Kagame Cup anyone? I am privileged to have covered several tennis tournaments in which the president is a participant. Plus, who’s about to forget Vision 2020 football team where again the president sits on the technical bench as head coach? Unlike US president-elect Obama (47) who played basketball competitively for his college and football in his teen in the back streets of Jakata, Indonesia, no one has come out with evidence showing that president Kagame (50) actually played football competitively nonetheless; no one can take away his identity as APR and Amavubi Stars number one fan. Further research on US’s next president led me to find that while previous US presidents had a great love of upmarket sports such as sailing and golf, Obama is more at home throwing his elbows into the rib cages of opponents as he plays pickup basketball on a caged court. It’s an entirely unaffected stance, but one which endears him to the common man and has led many to believe that the commander-in-chief of the most powerful country on earth may also become a saviour of sport. When the euphoria of his election dies down, Americans will be left with the reality that the economy is still in a mess, they’re still involved in two wars (read Iraq and Afghanistan) which are going to be extremely difficult to extract themselves from, and their jobs and houses are disappearing on a daily basis. Buying time But analysts say sports, however, may be the currency which buys him time with the other issues and I assume he’d take that with both hands. Who still doubts the power of sports? His adopted home city of Chicago is one of the contenders for the 2016 Olympic Games. Tokyo, seen as its main rival, has already voiced concern at what impact he may have on the selection process. Such is the outpouring of goodwill from all corners of the globe towards America’s first black president that you get the impression that all he needs to do is click his fingers and the state where he has been senator for four years will be hosting the 2016 Games. Having spent so many years as community organizer working with unemployed people in Chicago, Obama will have seen first-hand the positive effect sports can have on the lives of people who feel they have nothing to offer. While all the sporting bodies in the US will be knocking on the door of the Oval Office to get their piece of the cake, Obama, who studies say, throughout his career has resisted aligning himself with any one cause, is likely to try to spread his initiatives across all sports, rather than be seen as pro-basketball or pro-American football or whatever else. The son of Kenyan grew up playing football in Indonesia and upon his return to America lamented the fact that kids his age didn’t play the game. Obama’s 9-year-old daughter Malia plays football (or soccer to many of us) with her father frequently an avid spectator on the sidelines. Obama boosts US bid The United States and England are two of the bidders to host 2018 World Cup and when applications are submitted next year, president Obama’s endorsement of US’s bid could provide far more weight than, say Gordon Brown or anyone else’s. Or, have you ever wondered why Cecafa secretariat often turn to Rwanda when other regional countries fail to stage the (regional) championships or why Rwanda was picked to host next year’s African U-20 Youth Championship? Obama is also reportedly a fan of English side West Ham though this claim has since been played down. Nonetheless the London club have invited him to a game the next time he’s in the UK! “I dream of playing basketball,” Obama told reporters hours before his victory on Tuesday in response to a question enquiring what had occupied his mind as he slept on the eve of the election. Asked again if he would like to play the man who’s about to be his immediate predecessor, (President Bush) in a game of one-on-one, Obama expressed confidence. “You know, he looks like a pretty good athlete; he takes that mountain biking seriously,” he said. “But I’m pretty certain I can take him.” Not bad a way to start life in the White House, or is it? Now it’s basketball, and the rest of America’s sporting institutions, which could begin to dream of Obama, and as for here in Rwanda, we know who we dream of...... Contact: nku78@yahoo.com