Visit Rwanda and RwandAir official partners Basketball Africa League

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) announced a multiyear partnership that makes “Visit Rwanda” – the country’s marketing and tourism initiative – a Founding and Host Partner of the inaugural BAL season taking place in Kigali from 16 to 30 May.

The partnership will showcase Rwanda as a world-class tourism and investment destination and highlight Africa’s growing sports industry. Games will be played at the Kigali Arena, and the Kigali Convention Centre will serve as the practice facility for all 12 BAL teams. Visit Rwanda will be showcased on BAL team uniforms, and the BAL and RDB will collaborate on youth development and social responsibility initiatives in Kigali during the season.

In addition, RwandAir, the country’s national carrier, will be the league’s Official Airline for the inaugural season and has facilitated travel to and from Kigali for select BAL teams and staff. RwandAir operates one of the youngest state-of-the-art fleets out of its Kigali hub. Earlier this year, RwandAir became the first African airline to vaccinate all staff and crew against COVID-19.

Twelve teams from across the continent will compete in the inaugural BAL season. The Kigali Arena will host all 26 games of the competition, with the first BAL Finals taking place Sunday the 30th of May. The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa.

Source: Rwanda Development Board