KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Athletes crutched each other as they chased soccer balls with big dreams of competing at the world level. The children cheered as the goalkeeper dove in and blocked the attempt with his remaining hand.
Amputee football, a seven-a-side version of the game in which players walk around the field on crutches and goalkeepers fight with one arm, has steadily grown in recent years. Rwanda Over the past 10 years. The players say they took up a sport they never imagined they could play and found community on the field. For many, it provides not only physical rehabilitation but also a sense of belonging.
In the capital, Kigali, amputees play to promote healing and social cohesion after trauma, including some of the country’s darkest moments. 1994 genocideapproximately 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutus were massacred by the Hutu majority over a period of 100 days.
Nyiraneza Solange was born two years after the massacre and lost the use of one of her legs at the age of five after falling and contracting an infection. She said she was drawn to Amputee Football because of the resilience shown by those who lost limbs in the genocide.
She was encouraged by the former coach of the country’s first amputee soccer team, who told her she could play using crutches. She quickly cast aside her fear.
“I don’t even think about the fact that I don’t have legs,” Solange said, explaining that she felt free while playing and overcame the stigma that comes with being an amputee.
It is estimated that there are more than 3,000 lower limb amputees in Rwanda. Some are victims of genocide. Some people survived car accidents or illnesses.
Louise Kwizera, vice-president of the Rwanda Amputee Football Federation, said the sport allows players to learn to trust again and build unity in a “once divided” society.
“In communities affected by conflict and trauma, the stadium becomes a place of peace. People with different pasts come together as teammates,” Kwizera told The Associated Press.
Rwanda hopes to take part in the second Women’s Amputee Soccer World Cup, an invitational tournament scheduled to be held in Poland or Brazil next year. In the first tournament in 2024, there was only one Rwandan athlete.
The sport is managed by the World Amputee Football Federation and is played in over 50 countries. Rwanda currently has five professional women’s teams and 10 professional men’s teams.
Fred Solers, head coach of the Haitian women’s amputee soccer team, who visited Rwanda to help develop a local program, said he was rooting for the East African country to host the World Cup. However, the country’s sports ministry said it had not yet submitted a formal bid.
Sorrells said he sees the benefits of the sport.
“It is a psychological and spiritual victory for these women to have the opportunity to experience wholeness and health again,” he said.
Gilbert Mbuni Manye, director of sports development at the Rwanda Ministry of Sports, said sport is a “powerful tool” for healing, reconciliation and social cohesion.
The players acknowledged the limitations of their strategy.
“When you pull back and the ball goes to the side, it’s difficult to save the ball,” goalkeeper Nixze Angelique said. Similar to Solange, she described the sense of community found on the field.
As the players took selfies after the game, Angelique said she hoped they would make it to the World Cup.
“It would be a dream come true,” she said.
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