Rwanda to host 2019 Commonwealth Games General Assembly

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has announced that Rwanda will host the 2019 CGF General Assembly and Strategic Forum. The event will be held in Kigali on September 4-8, 2019. It will also mark the ten-year anniversary since Rwanda joined the Commonwealth nations in 2009, and a year before Rwanda hosts the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2020. Commonwealth Games Federation President Louise Martin CBE said: “Rwanda’s membership of the Commonwealth is unique and we welcome this opportunity to celebrate and engage with the youngest member of our sporting family. They submitted an ambitious, strategic hosting proposal – and see the General Assembly as an important stepping stone for CHOGM 2020. Rwanda is an inspiring country with passionate, proactive sports leadership – and we all look forward to ensuring a socially impactful legacy for Rwanda and the host CGA around the shared values and ambitions of Commonwealth Sport.” Separately, the president of Rwanda Commonwealth Games Association, Amb. Valens Munyabagisha, said: “We are truly honored to be selected to host the 2019 CGF General Assembly. We want to leverage this important event to build the profile of Rwanda and the wider Commonwealth, and also contribute to our shared sporting, social and economic development. Rwanda is increasingly becoming a destination of choice for international meetings, and delegates will see how the Capital City of Kigali has come of age. The heart of the emerging Rwandan economy and a pride of every Rwandan.” The General Assembly will be hosted at Kigali Convention Centre. Key agenda items for the General Assembly will be the quadrennial CGF elections, continued evolution of the CGF’s Governance and Regulations and the approval of a refreshed Transformation 2022 strategy. Rwanda made their Commonwealth Games debut at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, taking part in Athletics, Boxing, Road Cycling and Swimming. They won their first ever Games medal at the Bahamas 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games – winning Bronze in Women’s Beach Volleyball. During the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast, all the Commonwealth Countries observed one minute’s silence to pay respect to the over one million lives lost in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It will be the second General Assembly to be held on the African continent in seven years, with Kampala, Uganda having accommodated 2012 meeting. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Rwanda to host 2019 Commonwealth Games General Assembly