The Olympic games of 2024 are over. Athletes from all over the world came to compete in Paris. Medals were awarded to athletes from a total of 84 countries. No medals to Rwandan athletes. Kenya got 11 medals, Ethiopia 4, Botswana 2, Uganda 2 and so on. Having great international level athletes does something to a nation.
Pride, joy and the feeling of togetherness when you see your flag being raised, and your national anthem being played for the world to see and listen to. When you see even the biggest and toughest athlete wiping his or her eyes with tears of joy, a whole population is filled with pride!
I know, I am from Norway, and this time we got 8 medals in the summer Olympics, even though we are a winter sport country. I, myself being an Olympic game qualifier (a long time ago) and an international athlete and later a coach for top athletes, know the euphoric excitement that winning creates in each athlete, but also for the supporters.
This happens at all levels, locally you have family and friends feeling the excitement when someone you know wins, and at the international level, the whole nation will have the same feeling. Actually, it is not all about winning, but it is about competing at the international level.
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Being in Rwanda now for more than 5 years, I see a tremendous potential in developing top athletes. There are so many talented young people that with the right circumstances, like coaching, proper dietary and medical supervision, and given time and accommodations to focus on training, could get to the top level.
This will in most cases take years, of course, with consistent progress to reach one level at a time. Like I mentioned, I see many talents here, teenagers with natural abilities, that with the right backup can reach far in many sports.
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We now have excellent infrastructure for sports, the Amahoro area with the brand-new modern stadium. Next year Rwanda will host the World Championship in cycling, which is a very big event, and will make the whole world watch Rwanda through TV and social media coverage.
So, how do we proceed? Like I mentioned, I am from Norway and in 1986 we built an Olympic sports facility that since that time has developed into a "hatchery" for top athletes. All our top athletes are there for some time of the year for training, medical follow-up, proper nutrition guidance, and so on. Also, our top national coaches come there to assist the athletes, but also for coaches' seminars to further improve their specific knowledge needed to help the athletes.
The facility has a gym, sports specific medical doctors, physiotherapists and mental trainers specialized in sports psychology. In addition, there is a hotel where the athletes can stay, a professional kitchen with nutritionists, cantina and meeting rooms, and a seminar room for smaller conferences.
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The Olympics 2024 is over, but why not place Rwanda on the Olympic map for 2028 and 2032? We have the talents, and we have many of the facilities, but lacking the professional follow-up to make it happen. When I moved here in 2019, I was very enthusiastic about helping to create this kind of facility and produce a professional attitude towards sports.
I believe that this kind of facility needs to be administered on the national level, by the Ministry of Sports, or by an Olympic Committee. Of course, there are many levels we need to consider for this kind of approach to athlete development.
First, we need the facilities described briefly above, we need the personnel, coaches and other staff. I believe we should only focus on a limited number of sports to start with, and then have the possibility to expand to more different sports later.
Secondly, we need have a system to find talents anywhere in Rwanda, in addition to the ones we already know of. Teachers at schools need be able to identify young talents and then bring them for testing and follow-up at the national level. This of course needs to be done with parents' consent, and the students' interest in becoming an athlete.
From the existing athletes today, in addition to new talent, Rwanda should have goal of bringing 30-50 athletes to the 2028 Olympics, and even more for the 2032 Olympics. It takes time to get to an international level, but we should expect some to reach the top 10 level, maybe even be in contention for a medal!
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Of course, there are other major events, the Commonwealth games, the African championships, even national championships. Let's make Rwanda proud of our athletes! My dream is to see the Rwandan flag raised on a flagpole at the 2032 Olympics!
There is even another level to this. Rwanda has the perfect location for sports travel. Today all athletes from Northern Europe go to Spain, Portugal or Greece during the winter to train for the next season. Why not come here? International coaches and famous athletes will bring knowledge and enthusiasm to our athletes to motivate them even further.
A bonus that maybe not everyone is aware of is the altitude we have. About 1500-1600 meters above sea-level is perfect to enhance the cardiovascular capacity of all athletes. And it will boost tourism and the economy greatly.
The writer is a founder and co-owner of Fitnesspoint Rwanda and previously a top international athlete and coach.
