Minister of sports and culture Mitali Protais has told the Isango star radio station that sports in general have improved in all regards even if more are still needed to be done in order to reach the highest level of performance.
In a weekly show called the ‘Urubuga rw’itangazamakuru’ that takes place every Sunday to discuss about the current issues in the news, Minister Mitali explained that the recent situation in sports whereby the Rayon Sports fans misbehaved after equalizing with AS Kigali, is an isolated case that does not compromise with the good image of the football game in general.
He, however, condemned these behaviors as to warn other fans to never reproduce such disturbing behaviors in the Rwandan sports community.
The aim of the show was to assess the ups and downs in the sporting activities in Rwanda, including all sports.
Jado Castar a sports journalist at Radio Ten said that the current bad image in the football results not from the policy making levels but rather from the policy implementing levels, meaning at the sports federations.
He gave an example of the U17 players who are selected by federation high staff. For him, recruiters choose players who are above 17 years old so to win cups normally reserved for the 17 years old.
This is done in order to praise the Ministry of sports but it harms the quality of football in the future, Castar said.
Minister Mitali highlighted the fact the sports for all, meaning even the ones who are not professionals, should be given much focus in order to improve the health conditions of Rwandans.
For Castar, sports should be preventive rather than curative, meaning people should exercise sports that prevent disease but not the one that is medically prescribed as a curative measure.
Another situation that hinders the effectiveness and the development of the sports relate to the scarcity of financial capacities of certain media houses, a situation that puts journalists in a bribery situation to get money from some team managers and sports federation senior staffs.
To this, Minister Mitali said that the Ministry of sports does not involve itself into the management of the federations but is committed to assist the federation in implementing policies that benefit to players, coaches and fans at large.
Another journalist invited in the show was Didas Niyifasha the chief editor at Inkoramutima radio station. The journalist lauded the achievements in different games such as Volleyball and sitting volleyball of people with disabilities.
He also commended the government to have provided the nation with necessary infrastructures such as playgrounds,something he considered unique in the region.
At the other hand, he urged the Ministry to back different game federations in their operations as the perfection the working procedures of the federations.
At the other hand, he deplored the fact that the in football, the Rwanda has declined in its ranking at the international level.
Minister Mitali condemned the some of the journalists that are emotional in their professions. For him, those journalists are harming the well-being of the football in particular and for all sports in general.
Listeners condemned the FERWAFA ( Rwandan national football federation) for its lack of management skills, which lack compromises with the effectiveness of the game.
They also condemned some fans who sometimes interfere with the referees’ tasks. Some of the referees are not as skilled as they should, listeners said .
All of these are challenges that are facing Rwandan sport community, according to the listeners.
This weekly show takes place at Isango star but broadcasted simultaneously at other partner radio stations including Inkoramutima, Isangano, Ishingiro, and Izuba. The show was presided by Solange Ayanone and Muvunyi Fred
The aim of the show is to discuss about news headlines that characterized the national and the international scenes.
UM– USEKE.RW
