Rwandan President Paul Kagame inaugurated the first-ever Rwanda Cricket Stadium in October 2017.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“We are very happy to have this cricket pavilion and ground built and by that, we remember Christopher Shale in whose memory this stadium has been built. It is great pleasure for us Rwanda, one; to have this facility, second; to have partners and friends from the UK and to introduce and spread the enjoyment of playing cricket in Rwanda for the first time,”[/perfectpullquote]
President Kagame said.
The beautiful and Iconic facility sits on 4.5 hectares (11 acres) and is located in Gahanga Sector, Kicukiro District. The major reason for constructing the state-of-the-art stadium was to provide young women and men with an opportunity to improve their skills.
The partnership between the Government of Rwanda, Rwanda Cricket Association, and a British charity – Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation, birthed the idea of improving cricket in Rwanda, spearheaded by Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation that was set up by Alby Shale in memory of Christopher Shale (his father), a British man who fell in love with Rwanda after travelling to Kigali ten years ago.
He dreamt of building a proper ground for Rwandan cricketers but died in 2011 before he was able to carry out his plan.
Eric Dusingizimana, the national team captain, helped raise funds for the stadium by setting a Guinness World Record after batting for 51 hours straight last year.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“This is an exciting development for us and the younger generation is going to benefit heavily from this,” [/perfectpullquote]
Dusingizimana said.
Rwanda also holds the world record for women after Cathia Uwamahoro, a national team cricket player, became the first woman to bat for 26 hours.
The design of the Gahanga Cricket Stadium is a representation of Rwanda – a land of a thousand hills – as well as the trajectory of a bouncing cricket ball.
The new stadium has been built to international standards, making it the first of its kind in the East African region.
Featured Photo: Yorkshire Tea
