RWANDA will rely on six local athletes to win honors at this year’s edition of 12km Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) African Cross Country Championships set for March 18 in Cape town, South Africa.According to the local athletics federation Executive Secretary, Raymond Bananeza, the named include; Robert Kajuga (SEC), Cyriaque Ndayikengurukiye (Kamonyi), Alex Nizeyimana (Kamonyi), Eric Sebahire (APR), John Uwajeneza (NAS) and Godfrey Rutayisire (APR).Bananeza said, “The team will enter camp early next week because they are still waiting for financial support from the government,”The team which will be under coach Innocent Rwabuhihi will be making their maiden debut in the African cross country championship. But Sebahire has vast exeperiences in cross country championship because he competed in last year’s World cross country championship held in Punta Umbria, Spain.Over 30 countries and regions have sent in their preliminary entries for this month’s Africa Cross Country Championships.The Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Vice President David Okeyo said recently that the event has attracted huge interest with bigwigs Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea, Morocco and host south Africa among the teams that have confirmed participation.“Unlike in 2011, where Kenya had a solo race with a paltry 16 countries turning up, this year we have over 36 countries that have already sent in their preliminary entries in all the four events,” said Okeyo.The huge interest has been inspired by the fact that there will be no World cross country championships in 2012 after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) opted to have the event as a bi-annual.This means that after staging the world Cross in Punta Umbria, Spain last year, IAAF will have to wait until 2013 in Bydgosczc, Poland to have it again on its calendar.
