AfPC Celebrates NPC Rwanda at 25: A Legacy of Courage, Inclusion and African Sporting Pride

A message from the AfPC President

This silver jubilee honours the athletes who have carried Rwanda’s flag with determination, and the coaches, administrators, volunteers, families and partners whose work has helped turn sporting ambition into opportunity. It is a celebration of people and of an institution built to serve them.

Founded on 1 November 2001 as FERHANDIS and renamed NPC Rwanda in 2007, the organisation has helped strengthen a national movement for participation, dignity and sporting excellence. Its anniversary is also an opportunity to recognise the wider Rwandan Paralympic journey, which IPC records trace to the Sydney 2000 Games, before the federation’s establishment.

Performances that have inspired a continent

We honour Jean de Dieu Nkundabera, whose bronze in the men’s 800m T46 at Athens 2004 delivered Rwanda’s first Paralympic medal. We recognise Hermas Muvunyi’s achievements, including fifth place in the men’s 400m T46 at London 2012 and the men’s 1500m T46 at Rio 2016. His 800m T46 world title at Lyon 2013 is another distinguished chapter, separate from the Paralympic Games record.

Rwanda has also helped open doors through sitting volleyball. Its men became the first team from sub-Saharan Africa to compete in Paralympic sitting volleyball at London 2012. The women’s team followed with a historic qualification for Rio 2016 and returned at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Their journey from eighth in Rio to seventh in Tokyo and Paris reflects sustained participation at the highest level and a platform on which future generations can build.

We also salute Rwanda’s women as the 2025 African sitting volleyball champions and its men as continental runners-up. At the 2026 World Championships in Hangzhou, the men finished eighth and the women eleventh. These results reflect a continuing place in international competition and give the next generation a foundation on which to build.

These achievements belong to Rwanda, but their inspiration reaches far beyond its borders. They remind every young African athlete with a disability that the right to participate and the ambition to excel deserve practical support.

Honouring the past by investing in the next generation

Twenty-five years must be measured not only by medals and international appearances, but also by the opportunities created in communities: a child welcomed into sport, a woman supported to lead, a coach equipped to develop talent, and an athlete given the preparation and access needed to compete with confidence.

AfPC encourages governments, sporting institutions, schools and private-sector partners to use this anniversary to renew their support for accessible facilities, qualified coaching, classification opportunities, safeguarding and sustainable competition pathways. Recognition is most meaningful when it creates lasting opportunities for athletes.

We acknowledge Rwanda’s public institutions, sporting bodies, families and partners for supporting this journey. Strong national cooperation and sustained investment can help turn the promise of inclusion into more opportunities for athletes, on the field of play and in their communities.

To NPC Rwanda’s leadership, past and present, and to every athlete and person who has contributed to this journey: thank you for your service to Rwanda and to African Para sport. May the next chapter bring stronger institutions, wider participation and new achievements on the road to Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.

Congratulations, NPC Rwanda. Africa is proud of you. Africa is inspired by you. Together, let us keep building a movement in which every athlete has the opportunity to belong, develop and excel.

Issued by

Samson Deen — President, African Paralympic Committee