Rwanda: Ntore, Mpoyo Handed One-Year Suspension From All Basketball Activities

22 June 2026
The New Times (Kigali)

The Rwanda Basketball Federation (FERWABA) has suspended Ntore Habimana and Axel Mpoyo from all basketball activities under its jurisdiction for one year after the pair failed to report for the national team's training camp.

The APR players had been called up ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, scheduled to take place in Luanda, Angola, in July. However, they did not report to camp despite APR officially releasing them for national team duty on June 16.

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In a statement issued on Monday, June 22, FERWABA said the decision was made in line with resolutions adopted by the federation's General Assembly in December 2025, which require all players selected for national team duty to honour official call-ups.

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Under the resolution, any player whose club has confirmed their release but fails to join the national team without a valid justification approved by the relevant authorities is automatically suspended from all basketball activities sanctioned by FERWABA for one year.

"FERWABA remains committed to upholding the principles of discipline, commitment and respect for national team obligations," the federation said in the statement.

Additionally, the FIBA Internal Regulations, Book 3, Article 3-39, also requires players to accept the

call-up and participate fully in national team activities during the official release period by their clubs.

Before the suspension, Ntore had twice turned down a national team invitation. He had skipped the FIBA Afrobasket qualifiers in Senegal in 2024 before ruling himself out of FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers - Window 1 held in Tunisia in November 2025, citing personal reasons.

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