- Excellencies, Mr Almamy Kabele, President of the African Nations Championship & CAF Vice President
- Mr Hicham El Amrani, Secretary-General of CAF
- Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
It is a pleasure for me to join you this evening. Let me begin with a warm welcome to all our guests.
Rwanda is honoured to host the next African Nations Championship.
Rwandans are generally happy people, and are happy today to welcome all the teams and their fans to some of the most beautiful locations in our country.
I know all the organisers have been working hard to get ready.
We are going to have a great championship to remind us that sport is a teacher of values; Focus, sacrifice, humility, teamwork, honesty.
Champions work hand in hand, and work hard, and they don’t give up. But champions also have a big heart.
No sport brings people in every corner of the world together like football does. Wherever we are from, whatever is going on around us, when there’s a big competition on, we stop what we’re doing, and we watch, together.
On this note, I am sure Rwandans will be very happy to attend the matches that will be going on and to watch from wherever they will be.
Football belongs to everybody equally. Its rules and values are universal. That is why the players, and everyone else involved, are expected to be role models of excellence and sportsmanship.
Let’s give the fans what they expect and deserve. I wish to let you know that Rwanda will do everything possible within our means to meet everybody’s expectations.
I know you are all anxiously awaiting the draw, so without further ado let’s see what the CHAN 2016 line-up will look like.
I wish you all the best during your stay.
END