Tomorrow is the official opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games and Rwanda will be one of the 165 countries that will be represented in London.The team has been in London for the last two weeks preparing for the start of Games and hope is that our sports ambassadors are well equipped for the medal hunt, after all the country’s only Olympic medal came at the Athens Paralympic Games – in 2004.Jean de Dieu Nkundabera represented Rwanda in Athens, and won the country’s first ever Paralympic or Olympic medal in any sport, by taking bronze in the T46 men’s 800 metre race, with a time of 1:58.95.The athlete represented the country again at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing but failed to come close to his heroics of four years earlier. For the London 2012, he didn’t qualify.The Rwandan team to the 2012 Paralympics Games is made up of 14 athletes, including the sitting volleyball team (11), Hermas Muvunyi (400m and 800m), Theoneste Nsengimana (1,500m), and power-lifter Theogene Hakizimana (82.50kg), plus six coaches and officials.Following poor performance at the able-bodied London Olympic Games, Rwandans are hoping that the Paralympics team can redeem the country’s fortunes like it was eight years ago in Athens.Wishing Paralympics Team Rwanda the best of luck.
