Global stars descend on Rwanda for inaugural Basketball Africa League

The Kigali Arena in Rwanda will host the inaugural Basketball Africa League.

The year 2021 has seen many countries across the world returning to total lockdowns due to the upsurge of Covid-19 infections.  For Rwanda, it has been a different story due to effective measures put in place by the government, which have paid off in view of the few cases being registered daily in the country.

Rwanda has managed to stage international sporting events in relative safety for the athletes, officials and fans. At the beginning of this month, it was good news to Rwandans and sports lovers from other nations as the country successfully hosted the 13^th edition of the famous Tour du Rwanda, the biggest cycling race in Africa.

Basketball stars, fans in Kigali

Following the successful conclusion of the Tour du Rwanda, Rwanda is now also hosting Africa’s first ever premier elite men’s basketball league at Kigali Arena and at Kigali Convention Centre, two iconic venues for the country.  The Basketball Africa League (BAL), as it's known, has attracted 12 teams from across the continent and will take place from May 16 to May 30.

Africa's top basketball club sides are set to face off from Sunday in the Rwandan capital Kigali in a new professional competition, BAL, designed to promote the sport and unearth the best up and coming talent. Africa’s premier men’s basketball league, BAL, is the first professional league of its kind to be run by the NBA outside North America.

Superstars of global repute travelled to Kigali for the event. These include Mr Eazi, DJ Poizon Ivy, and renown American rapper J Cole,  an award-winning and highly acclaimed hip hop artist (real name Jermaine Cole), who signed to feature for Patriots, Rwanda's basketball champions, during the tournament. The North Carolina native signed a three- to six-game contract with the Patriots, the team that is representing Rwanda in the two-week tournament.

J. Cole is set to play in his first professional game in the African Basketball League. The “No Role Modelz” emcee will join Rwanda's Patriots B.B.C. team on Sunday (May 16). The game will air at 7 a.m. ET on the ESPN News channel.

The Rwandan champions face Nigerian giants, Rivers Hoopers, in their first game on Sunday, at 4pm CAT. Rivers Hoopers, the three-times Nigerian league champions from Port Harcourt, are one of the league favourites. They will be led by Nigerian international Ben Uzoh, one of the most experienced signees to the BAL, having played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors as well as professional stints in Europe and Mexico.

Canal+ and ESPN will air all games across the continent

BAL represents more than just basketball. It is also more about shining a bright light on the continent’s sports premium and an empowerment of the African youth beyond basketball courts. 

It is a league that will elevate the image of our continent and earn it its rightful place in the world of basketball. Rwanda understands the importance of sport as an aspect of national and continental development. This has been demonstrated in both the software and hardware investments that the government of Rwanda has made in the sport industry.

The construction of the ionic Kigali Arena, the biggest indoor arena in East and Central Africa is a crystal clear indication of the great importance Rwanda attaches to sports both at national and international levels. 

The government also reviewed its sports policy so as to allow for a swift development of the sector. Having a ministry that is exclusively in charge of Sports should perhaps tell us more on the political will of Rwanda in the development of Sports.

It is with no doubt that the visiting teams will enjoy the Kigali Arena sports facility that has a sitting capacity of 10,000 much as full capacity will not be realistic due to the social distancing requirements. Rwanda is already looking ahead. A deal signed this week between BAL and Rwanda Development Board will see the Visit Rwanda brand an official partner of the tournament.

RwandAir, the country's airline, is the official airline of the tournament. It has taken up the role of transporting the athletes from all the 12 African countries to and from Rwanda for the games. These strategic partnerships will inevitably boost the country's quest to position itself as a MICE destination, despite the significant setbacks attributable to the pandemic.

The new development of hosting international sporting events in Rwanda shows confidence in Rwanda on two fronts; the ability of Rwanda to be able to contain the Covid-19 pandemic with very few cases as of today, the lowest in the region and perhaps one of the lowest in the continent.

It also shows the confidence countries have in Rwanda to successfully host the games. As Rwanda looks forward to a successful Basketball Africa League tournament, I wish all competing teams the very best. And to all of them, my message is: Murakaza neza. You are welcome. Feel at home and come back again to #VisitRwanda.