League runners-up AS Kigali are set to start training sessions this week in early preparations for next-season’s CAF Confederation Cup which kicks off in September. Times Sport has established that the club will join a training camp on Wednesday, August 4, after the Ministry of Sports (MINISPORTS) granted them a permission to resume training sessions by strictly using the approved camp facilities amid the new Covid-19 restrictions. Since the end of June, sporting activities were among activities suspended in Rwanda after the lockdown was imposed in the City of Kigali and eight other districts as a result of an upsurge in new cases of the Covid-19 pandemic in the areas. The club will be requested to comply with the guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19, or else, their training sessions will be suspended. “We urge the team management to adhere to all medical guidelines in the fight against COVID-19 infection and non-compliance could lead to postponement of the training,” reads part of MINISPORTS’ letter addressed to AS Kigali. AS Kigali finished second in the 2020/21 top flight league, behind champions APR FC who will represent Rwanda in the CAF Champions League. The City of Kigali-sponsored side have so far been one of the most active clubs on the transfer market, having signed top players including shot stopper Fiacre Ntwari, defenders Denis Rukundo and Hervé Rugwiro, and midfielders Fabrice Mugheni Kakule, Andrew Buteera, Guillain Uwimana, Haruna Niyonzima, and Ramadhan Niyibizi as they look to beef up their squad prior to the CAF competition. Meanwhile, Adil Mohammed Erradi and his APR FC boys are expected to take their training camp in his home country, Morocco as they get ready for intensive training sessions ahead of next season’s CAF Champions League. The Morrocan has a mountain to climb as his employers expect him to finally take their side to the group stages. Individual sports activities resume A new directive issued by MINISPORTS on Sunday, August 1, indicates that the approved sport is an individual, outdoor exercise in conjunction with others. As a result, only recreational activities including running, Gymnastics, Cycling, Walking and Driving are allowed to resume. The physical education and sports courses are also accepted in schools in compliance with COVID-19 prevention strategies. For those who train at the Peace Stadium, the Ministry of Sports has announced that it will be held between 6 am and 5 pm and is only for athletes.
