Focus Media (Kigali)
Dominique Price
18 July 2008
Sports should get priority at Petit Stade, basket players say.
Intended for recreational use, the outdoor courts tucked in behind the Prime Minister's Office are home to wooden backboards, cement floors and bare metal poles. Dim lighting shadows the non-regulation court. There is no score board, shot clock, or running-time display.
Yet two quarter-final matches of the tournament were held at Primature, and two more in the sweltering arena adjacent to Remera's Petite Stade. Fans crammed into plastic chairs and stood on benches while, next door, a 2,500-seat amateur sports stadium cranked out beats by local artists KGB, Rafiki and Miss Jojo.
The regional tournament had been scheduled for weeks, but the Ministry of Culture and Sports decided to rent out the country's only official basketball stadium for Kigali's Liberation Night Dance.
Members of the Burundian teams who flew in for the competition tried to be diplomatic. "We come prepared to play on whatever courts are available," said Alexis Songomwa, former player for the Burundi national team and national director of the Burundi Basketball Federation (FEBABU). "You never know what the conditions will be, so you have to be ready to adapt."
But coaches and players were unimpressed. Complaints could be heard across the airwaves last week, as team reps took issue with the less-than professional conditions and questioned the Ministry's priorities.
Yet the Secretary General of the Ministry assured Focus that basketball is the country's second most important athletic program (after football), and it takes precedence in stadium scheduling.
"Basketball is the first priority," says Jean Pierre Karabaranga. Unfortunately, the Rwanda Basketball Federation failed to reserve the stadium far enough in advance, Mr. Karabaranga explains. "They tried to book the courts one or two weeks beforehand. But the concert had already been scheduled."
Attracting sponsors
The President of the Federation, Fidèle Rutagarama, says there may have been some miscommunication. "We thought we had the courts reserved, but we were told there was a big concert for Liberation Day," he says.
Similar mix-ups have become fairly common since use of the stadium shifted towards semi-privatization in 2005, according to the ministry. After the Chinese government footed the bill to have the stadium covered three years ago, the arena became Kigali's most popular place to host everything from graduations to group prayers.
"An empty stadium means no publicity," Mr. Rutagarama says. "So we fill empty dates with other events." But the Ministry draws the line at wedding requests, he says. "It's privatization in terms of marketing," Jean Pierre Karabaranga says. "We're trying to organize events that can attract sponsors."
According to the Secretary General, part of the revenue generated by events goes to basketball, which is largely underfunded in Rwanda. This year, basketball received a total budget of Frw 150 million from the government, compared to the Frw 800 million allotted for football.
Last year, the budget sat at Frw 280 million, because certain teams qualified for the African Cup, according to the ministry.
'Basketball doesn't pay'
Supporters argue that, in a country struggling to build up its basketball program, more money and attention needs to be paid to the sport. "At a minimum, we have to provide players with proper equipment-jerseys, shoes-a good coach, good courts," agrees Tony Gakuba, Vice President of Cercle Sportif Kigali (CSK).
Tough competition is also necessary, he points out-and bringing in qualified opponents can prove difficult, when you're offering a meager Frw 300,000 as a first-place prize. "[For the Liberation Day Tournament,] we also invited Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, and Kenya. But what's enticing them to come?" Mr. Gakuba says.
CSK, who took third place in the competition, brought home a Frw 150,000, to split 15 ways.
"Basketball in Rwanda just doesn't pay," Mr. Gakuba says. "So, when players finish studying, they usually start working."
Clubs like CSK do what they can to provide financial support to players, owners say, but funding is sparse. Finding sponsorship from private companies is difficult, and the Federation's funds are limited, they say.
To amplify government funding, the Federation says it is trying to negotiate grants from the International Amateur Basketball Federation (FIBA). So far, the Federation has only received balls from FIBA. "With increased interaction, though, we can look forward to more in the future," president Rutagarama says.
Quality product
The Ministry agrees that there is a lack of investment in the sport. "But if you don't have a quality product, you won't have a sponsor," one official said.
Improving the basketball program is an achievable goal, according to National Team Coach Veceslav Kavedzija. Mr. Kavedzija, who has 50 years of experience coaching in Croatia, Switzerland and Bosnia, says he is trying to help develop a more competitive program in Rwanda, especially among younger players.
"A successful program needs continuity," he points out. "It takes time, patience, and work." For Rwanda to really compete, Mr. Kavedzija says, it will take consistent training and better infrastructure.
"The difference between basketball in Rwanda, and in Europe or America, is their ability to practice twice a day," he says. "Here, that's just impossible."
As the junior national team begins practicing for the African Cup qualifiers this month, Veceslav Kavedzija is trying to schedule court time-but the Fespad dance festival has already been booked in the stadium. "We'll just have to look for another court," Mr. Kavedzija says.
Despite scheduling setbacks, the national coach says Rwanda's basketball program is evolving. "If we keep working, we'll make the top eight [in the African Cup] next year."
In the meantime, the Ministry says it will help the Federation get what it needs to run a championship, develop junior teams, and improve national teams. This includes hiring a general manager to help the Federation with scheduling, as well as plans to bring in US trainers and recruiters this August, according to the Secretary General.
"Young players should know that there is a future in basketball," Mr. Karabaranga says.
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