Rwandan referee Jean de Dieu Mukundiyukuri made history on Thursday, August 8 as he became the first African to officiate beach volleyball semi- finals at the Olympics. The 35-year-old handled the semi-final between Canada and Switzerland at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics. Mukundiyukuri has been an international beach volleyball referee since 2013 and is one of the 24 referees with “Elite A” qualifications. He has previously officiated top beach volleyball events including the Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 held in September last year, as well as the Beach Volleyball World Cup held in Mexico held in October last year. A retired volleyball player and former Secretary General of the Rwanda National Olympic Committee, Mukundiyukuri’s story with the game started when he was a youngster participating in local mini-tournaments. He went on to play in school competitions alongside big names like Flavien Ndamukunda and Pierre Marshal Kwizera, whom he met at Saint-Joseph in Kabgayi. After a short spell in the beach volleyball career, Mukundiyukuri sustained a knee problem and quit playing. He ventured into coaching and later refereeing.
