KIGALI, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Various sports tournaments commemorating Rwandan genocide in 1994 are being held in the central African country, including tournaments of volleyball, cycling, cricket, tennis and chess.
The Volleyball Genocide Memorial Tournament kicked off on Saturday in Rwandan capital Kigali with various regional teams participating in the competition.
The two-day tournament in its eighth year attracted 24 teams from Kenya, Uganda, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda, including 14 men's teams and 10 women's teams, according to the Rwanda Volleyball Federation.
The volleyball tournament is part of the sports competitions in various disciplines organized annually by sports federations in the east African country in June to remember former players, coaches, sports administrators and fans who perished in the 1994 genocide against Tutsi, which claimed over one million people in 100 days.
The games of the tournament are played at different stadiums in the capital.
Rwanda's volleyball fraternity lost about 50 members in the Rwanda genocide in 1994, according to the federation.
A cycling tournament dubbed Race to Remember also started on Saturday, which drew cyclists from all cycling associations of the country.
Girls and junior cyclists were flagged off in Kamonyi district in southern Rwanda, heading to Nyanza district to cover a distance of 97.6 kilometers, while senior cyclists were flagged off at Gitikinyoni in Kigali heading to Nyanza district to cover a distance of 130.3 kilometers, according to Rwanda Cycling Federation.
The cricket memorial tournament was unveiled on Thursday here and will close on Sunday. According to Rwanda Cricket Federation, the competition attracted teams from Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.
The tennis competition for remembering the genocide kicked off on Friday with armatures while the professionals will start next Monday. The competition will end on June 16.
According to the Rwanda Tennis Federation, some 136 participants registered to participate in the game, including 64 women. There are 32 professional players, among them 24 men and eight women, said the federation.
Some 64 competitors from Burundi, United Kingdom, Kenya, Nigeria, South Soudan, Uganda and Rwanda are competing in a chess competition from June 8 to June 10.
