Selections for Beijing Olympics start

Selections for athletes who will participate in next year’s Beijing Games qualifiers is slated for today when the national championship dubbed ‘Rendezvous Nationale’ comes to conclusion today at Amahoro stadium. The national team head coach Adolphe Rukenkanya told Times Sport that the main aim of the two-day championship is to select capable athletes who would take part in next year’s African and European championships in a bid to attain the required minimum standards for the Beijing Games. “This event is set to help the athletics technical team find competent athletes who could meet the standard requirements when they part in the African and European qualifiers. “It means the athletes with good and better personal timings will be selected to join the national squad that will take part in the qualifiers for the Beijing Games,” Rukenkanya said. The competition, the first of its kind to be organized is expected to attract teams from all corners of the country including clubs, public and private institutions, the army, the national police as well as schools and institutions of higher learning. The two-day event’s participants are expected to compete in both track and field events ranging from 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10.000m, 4x100, 4x400 relays, high, high and triple jump, javelin as well as short-put. Ends