London Games to cost Rwanda Rwf214m

THE National Olympics Committee has estimated that Rwf 214.4m will be needed for the preparation and participation in this year’s Olympic Games scheduled to be held in London from July 17 to August 12.According to the Chef de Mission, Serge Mwambali, Rwf64.8m will be set aside for preparation while Rwf149.6m will be the participation costs for national teams.Rwanda is expected to send a 50-man contingent consisting of 25 Olympic athletes and a 25 strong man Paralympics team. The Paralympics commence on August 29 to September 9.The country will have 11 athletes drawn from athletics, boxing, cycling, judo, swimming and Taekwondo with seven officials while five others officials will be from the Olympic committee.In Paralympics, seating volleyball team will be made up of 12 athletes and two officials, two athletes, accompanied by one official and one athlete in power lifting with one official as well as officials from NPC and Olympic committee to complete a 25-man list.The budget that has been drafted will cater for airfare, uniforms, equipment, allowances, medical and communication costs, insurance, costumes, video footages and national flags.Mwambali revealed that the local Olympics committee received Olympic grants worth Rwf 111m from the International Olympic Solidarity and London Games organisers for pre-games Training Camp for Olympics and Paralympics teams.Cyclist Adrien Niyonshuti was the first athlete to qualify for the Games in February last year. In Athletics, Jean Pierre Mvuyekure ran inside the marathon qualifying ‘B’ standard time to qualify for London Games in March after hitting 02:18:00 laid down by the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) in Rome Marathon.In Paralympics, Hermas Cliff Muvunyi and Theogene Hakizimana are the only qualified athletes in 400m T46 race and power lifting categories to date.The nation has never won an Olympics medal since its debut in Los Angeles games in 1984.

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London Games to cost Rwanda Rwf214m