Rwanda National Olympic Committee (RNOC) boss is still hopeful about Rwanda’s chances of having more athletes qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games scheduled for August 8-24. Ignace Beraho told Times Sport yesterday that he is assured that athletes who were close to the minimum qualification times at the just concluded African senior athletics championship in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia can improve and attain the standard required time before the deadline in July. The local Olympics committee wants to select few athletes capable to beating the qualification time to compete in European championships. “Athletes like Slyvain Rukundo and Angelline Nyiransabimana to mention but a few who were close to the minimum qualification time will be lined for other competition. “The main of aim of engaging them in other competitions is to give them a chance to qualify for the Olympic Games and we’re confident they will achieve,” Beraho said. Rwanda’s chances of taking a considerable team for the Olympics have been dealt a major blow after national athletes failed to make it at the just concluded 16th edition of the African athletics Championship in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last week. Islam Mulinda (100m&200m), Sophie Kanakuze (100m), Jean d’Arc Uwamahoro (800m), Joseph Nzirorera (800m),Angelline Nyiransabimana, Innocent Hakuzimana,Claudette Musakindi (10.000m), Cyriaque Ndayikengurikiye (10000), Musa Bizimana (400m), Etienne Bizimana (10.000m) and 4*400m relay team of Etienne Gashagaza, Musa Bizimana, Innocent Hakuzimana and Emmanuel Ntakiyimana are the athletes who failed to beat minimum qualification standards in their respective events. Boxing and cycling were the first in the exit chamber of this year’s Olympic Games. Boxers failed to make it at the last qualifying event in Windhoek, Namibia while cyclists were denied a wildcard. Currently, Dieudonné Disi (10.000m) and Epiphanie Nyirabarame (marathon) are the only athletes who have qualified for the Games. The total number of Rwandan athletes expected to participate in the Beijing Games stands at just five, including the two runners, two swimmers and one in Paralympics. In swimming, Pamela Ngirimbabazi and a male counterpart yet to be named earned a wild card for the Games while 2004 Athens Paralympics bronze medalist, Nkundabera qualified for the Beijing Games in 800m during last year’s All Africa Games in Algeria. Ends
