KIGALI - Cheers and jeers echoed in the BK Arena, where defending champions Nigeria were battling against 11-time winners Senegal in the Fiba Women’s AfroBasket 2023 Championship.
Among the boisterous crowd was New Yorker Benjamin Glassman, who sat with the Nigerian fans, clapping his hands and willing them on from the edge of his seat.
This was his first time abroad and he chose to fly over 11,000 kilometres to Rwanda to support a Senegalese and Nigerian player whom he knew personally when they played for the University at Buffalo in the United States.
“For someone to take time out of their day to watch them, it means a lot to the players and that’s how you support someone you love on the team. That’s the reason I came here,” said the 50-year-old.
The retired software engineer is among an increasing number of travellers in Rwanda to watch or participate in sporting events, as the African nation looks to sport to boost its tourism sector and spur economic growth.
Revenue generated by sports tourism shot up almost 60 times, from US$120,000 (S$161,920) in 2019, to US$7 million in 2022, according to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB). In 2023, it aims to generate US$11 million.
This is part of the diversification of its tourism industry, which still heavily relies on gorilla tourism for revenue, to attract more international travellers.
The second edition of the Ironman 70.3 Rwanda Triathlon in August 2023, for example, had participants from countries like the US, Italy and Japan.
Jabo Landry, 35, overall coordinator for the Women’s AfroBasket event, noted that more tourists are coming to catch regional and international basketball matches as compared to pre-pandemic times.
Landry, also the former executive director of the Rwanda Basketball Federation, is hopeful that such events can position Rwanda as the “sports hub of Africa”.
In line with this goal, Rwanda has been ramping up infrastructure, including its stadiums and arenas.
The Amahoro National Stadium is undergoing renovation works costing 160 billion Rwandan francs (S$1.7 billion). The revamped stadium, slated to open in 2024, will hold football matches and house 45,000 spectators.
Located just beside the construction site is the BK Arena. Built in just six months, it is Rwanda’s first 10,000-seater arena.
Nigeria women’s national basketball coach Rena Wakama, 31, said: “It’s beautiful here, it’s like a gem for African Basketball and we should come here more often.”
Uganda sports fans Bernard Olupot, 38, and Olive Telma Kweberaho, 36, were in town for the basketball tournament – their fourth trip in 2023 to watch a live sports event in Rwanda.
“We love being here,” Oluput said. “Kigali is a lovely city and if you don’t come for basketball you can come for so many other things.”
Beyond basketball, Rwanda signed a five-year partnership with German football club Bayern Munich in August to promote sports tourism. It will also see the establishment of a football academy in Rwanda to strengthen the development of the sport.
This is Rwanda’s third partnership with a European football team, following sponsorship deals with Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. The partnerships have attracted a million visitors and injected US$445 million in tourism revenues, said RDB CEO Clare Akamanzi in a media report.
Rwanda’s ambitions will see it hosting several key events like the M25 Kigali 2023 tennis event and 2025 UCI Road World Cycling Championships – a first for an African country. The Basketball African League tournament will continue after the collaboration was extended for another five years.
Wakama said that the future of Rwanda’s sporting scene remains bright, not only for events but also young talents.
“They’ve done a phenomenal job with empowering youth sports and you can see it in fruition... It’s definitely possible that they will be the sports hub of Africa, if not, it’s here already.”
