Decades have passed but the Rwandan people are still marked by this dark period of history. Thus, on 29th June the Rwandan Judo Federation, led by President Christian Bishyika, organised the Genocide Memorial Tournament (GMT). The event was made possible thanks to the support of the Ministry of Sports and the Rwandan National Olympic Committee.
Christian Bishyika explained, "The GMT is part of a process of remembrance and resilience, in tribute to the Rwandan athletes who were victims of the 1994 genocide. This tournament aims to perpetuate their memory while promoting the fundamental values of judo."
In this same spirit of inclusion and fraternity through sport, the organisers were pleased to welcome 20 judoka from the Mahama refugee camp judo club, located in the southeast of the country, as well as eight judoka from Goma, a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo, bordering Rwanda. Their presence was particularly symbolic as the DRC and Rwanda just signed a peace agreement in Washington DC, USA.
President Bishyika stated that, "We founded the Mahama club on 28th October 2018, on the occasion of World Judo Day, with Vianney Ntaconayigize, a former member of the Burundi national judo team, now a refugee. Since its creation, this club has embodied hope and reconstruction through sport in one of the country's largest refugee camps."
The GMT, which took place in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, served to illustrate the possibility of understanding between peoples. It brought smiles to all participants and stakeholders, demonstrating that without forgetting the difficult times of the past, it is possible to build a peaceful present, in order to envision a bright future for young people who aspire only to live in peace.