The annual Genocide Memorial Tournament to commemorate players, officials, fans of volleyball, and members of the wider sports fraternity who lost their lives in the genocide against the Tutsi starts Friday at Amahoro indoor court.
The Genocide Memorial Tournament, GMT is the first indoor volleyball tournament to mark a new area of the Volleyball federation committee in a list of many tournaments announced on their agenda.
In this year’s tournament, the Kenya Ports Authority is the only team to come from abroad participating in the men’s category. As Rwanda women’s national under-20 team prepares for the World Championships, it will also feature in this tournament as a team in the Women’s category to intensify their preparations.
In a draw held on Thursday evening, UTB VC, the defending champions learned their fate where they will face APR VC and Kirehe VC in the first group while REG VC, Kenya Ports Authority, IPRC Ngoma, and Gisagara VC contest in the second group.
In the women’s category, RRA VC, APR VC, IPRC Kigali are in the first group, while UTB VC, National Team U-20, IPRC Huye are placed in the second group.
Speaking to Flash FM on Wednesday, Mr. Eric Nsabimana, First Vice President of the Rwanda Volleyball Federation, said that in between games, they plan to share testimonies, pass the messages of remembrance just to mourn the people murdered in the genocide against the Tutsi.
He added that after GMT, the Rwanda Volleyball federation with its partners plan to organize a Liberation Day Tournament so that after commemorating the lives lost in the genocide against Tutsi they will pass on the message that the genocide was stopped by the liberators of the nation.
Last year, GMT was not held due to the current state of the covid-19 situation.
In 2019, in the men’s category, the UTB VC defeated REG VC 3-2 (25-15, 21-25, 19-25,25-10, and 15-13) in the final to clinch the trophy. While Uganda’s KCB Nkumba University defended the title won in 2018 by beating RRA in the final game.
