Posts tagged: Rotary Sports Festival

The very first official meeting of Rotary Sport Rwanda after its official charter was held on Saturday 17 January at the Cercle Sportif Club, Kigali. At the meeting, congratulations flowed around at the attainment of charter status, the certificate of which arrived just a couple of days before.

It was a joyous occasion where members freely expressed their enthusiasm at what is starting in Rwanda, through Rotary.  Offices and responsibilities were shared, and action points were assigned to members.

Charter President Sport-Rotarian Charlie Haba expressed his thanks to District, through Assistant Governor Suman, and called on members to ‘let’s start things immediately and show the wider Rotary that we in Rwanda, can be pacesetters in the building and sustenance of the Rotary family.

CP Charlie called on members who ideas on any projects or events that they would want to have RS adopt to submit their proposals to the central email address. Meanwhile, Global President Dr Tunde made a short submission on a proposed event to kickstart operations of RS in Rwanda, and this is being considered by the executive. President-Elect Zacharie Kamugisha also presented his idea, as did Sport Rotarian Marlon Weir.

It was an active and buoyant meeting that showed potential of many great things to come to Rotary, through Sport, and in Rwanda and beyond.

Rotary Sport has received its second charter from Rotary International. This club, a sporting brand of the wider RI, set up and having received its first charter in its birthplace Basingstoke in the UK, has been established with a view to spreading the word of sport globally. The objective is to use sport to promote selflessness; to use sport to enhance and highlight the seven pillars of Rotary; to bring sports development to societies and communities, and use the power of the benevolence of Rotary to create sporting stories, by supporting promising talent in achieving their dream.

Having operated out of birthplace Basingstoke UK for a year, the initiators of the movement branched out into various countries, building the concept and by that, building the size of the overall Rotary family; recruiting members to join Rotary.

And so the news has entered, that one of the first countries that this concept was shared, Rwanda, became the first club after the pioneer club, to be granted Rotary International charter!

Great news!

Rotary Club of Sport Rwanda (as it is to be known formally) was supported and guided through to charter by the existing Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga, and also notably the support of District 9150 Assistant Governor Alla Suman.

The input of Rotarian Paul Masterjab of Kigali Virunga is noted, as was the input of Charter President  Charlie Haba, who gladly and willingly migrated from Virunga in order to ensure that the vision of the creator of the Rotary Sport movement, Global President Dr Tunde Adelakun, comes to fruition.

The Rotary Sport Club of England Basingstoke is wrapping up plans to hold a first-of-its-kind sports quiz amongst the secondary schools in the town.

The Quiz event is scheduled for Saturday 6 December 2025 at the South Side Refectory of the Basingstoke College of Technology.

In the words of Rotary Sport International President Dr Tunde Adelakun, this quiz is being organised to ‘bring excitement to the art of sport following, testing the knowledge of our youth in the sports that they love and follow, and giving a sense of competition and learning at the same time. Furthermore we believe it also promotes healthy camaraderie amongst the schools in Basingstoke.

Our objective has always been to use every possible means to keep sports in the psyche of all generations and while many see us as a club that only promotes players in sports, and others see us as just a sporting charity club, we are using this quiz to show that the ecosystem of sports in all nations is not only about playing and competing but also about exchanging and sharing knowledge’.

Late in October in Germany, a story was written with Rotary Sport at the forefront. Out there in the world championships of kickboxing was a young 14-year old British super talent – Mia Purkiss. Going into the tournament on a superb run of good form, Mia was still going into the championship needing to prove the talent that she possesses can indeed transform into titles.

And on 28 October, it did, as she was crowned World Champion in the Under-15 category! In addition she won silver as member of the GB team in the teams event.

Mia is a 14-year old Basingstoke athlete who received the backing and support of Rotary Sport England Basingstoke and we are proud to be associated with such immense talent.

Mia and her family were never in doubt as to her ability to conquer the world. And we showed immense belief in her which she justified proudly.

“Watching her donning the Rotary Sport shirts all through her stay in Germany fills us with pride and we hope it will inspire even more success from her and inspire others to go for the top prizes no matter the challenges” were the words of Rotary Sport International President Dr Tunde Adelakun, who showered multiple words of congratulations on the achievement of Mia and the support shown by her family. “Mia’s family was her number one support and her parents David and xxx who went through a lot to create the time to follow her everywhere she went, deserves special mention”.

One of the major objectives of Rotary Sport is to hold sports festivals in as many towns and countries around the world as is possible. We see such festivals, a gathering of all parts of the community/society to get together, freely play sport, exchange and engage, and encourage well-being amongst one another and inspiring same in the immediate community.

After a hugely successful Sports Festival held in Kigali, Rwanda late in June, it was the turn of Basingstoke, Hampshire in the UK – the official birthplace of Rotary Sport International – on July 12, where we had another hugely successful Family Festival of Sports.

Bringing the whole of the Basingstoke community together in the name of sports, the Festival of Sports was held on the grounds of Cranbourne School, on one of the hottest days so far in the country in 2025.

Luckily, Cranbourne School availed Rotary Sport of the use of the two massive indoor sports halls in the school and they were made to full use by the people who turned up.