#WePuckHere : #1 Rwanda

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In certain places of the world, some diehard hockey players share their passion, even going in incredible places to create clubs. From Africa to America, Europe and Asia, focus on these little-known countries in underwater hockey. Let’s start with Rwanda.

August 30, 2013. Eger, Hungary. Women’s semi-final of the world championships between Colombia and the United States. A close game that Jimm Crosby, an American teacher in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, could not miss. As he lectured, his eyes flickered between his students and his computer screen broadcasting the game. When the class was over, Jimm’s students came to see him, intrigued by what captivated him so much. “We watched the match together! They were fascinated and immediately asked me if I could teach them the sport.” Due to the enthusiasm of his players and the impossibility of finding diving equipment and sticks in Rwanda, Jimm called his former clubs in Chicago and California to ask them to give him old equipment. After a first trip in October and a second one for Christmas by one of his colleagues, training has finally started. The success was there and the group quickly counted a dozen players thanks to a student of Jimm who was responsible of recruitment but also contacting the managers of the pools. They were rather enthusiastic about the idea of welcoming him and his crew. « I think they were happy that our team had almost only locals. It made our development easier. ” A workforce that can count on the professionalism of former Olympic swimmers like Alphonse Agahozo who represented Rwanda at the London Olympics in 2012. A significant experience at the dawn of the first clashes.

The first competitions

While the Rwandan team has been training for a year, Jimm discovered that another underwater hockey team exists in a border country: Tanzania. “We started a little rivalry with them.” Sometimes the Rwandan players went to Dar es Salaam, sometimes the Tanzanians went the opposite way. A derby, the beginnings of future oppositions between the new hockey teams. The Kigali players were thirsty for competitions and travel. It was finally in 2017, during the Dubai tournament, in which Jimm was one of the main instigators, that the Rwandans were able to satisfy this desire of games. This competition also included Hong Kong, French and American teams. A great opportunity for Rwandans to progress and face teams of equivalent level and others of a larger caliber. If they suffered a big defeat against the French team, the following matches were more disputed. The Kigali team even managed to win against the Saudis (4-2). Enough to dream of world championships? « In a few years maybe but for now we only have three or four players who can have the level » confesses Jimm who has more Olympic dreams.

Nature, jungle and hockey

Meanwhile, underwater hockey continues to develop in Rwanda which organized the 1000 Hills Tournament in 2019. This competition brought together the Tanzanian, Saudi, American teams but also another from Kenya, also created by Jimm. In order to attract foreign teams to his host country, the professor exploits the tourist resources of the country of a thousand hills to the maximum. “We have a partnership with safaris. Those who come to play hockey with us can also watch gorillas and lions. ” At more than 1,500 meters above sea level, amidst the green hills that form the city of Kigali, is a bunch of hockey players. A group of players who progress, have fun and develop the practice of our sport in a country that did not know it seven years ago. Who knows, one day maybe we will find them in a world championship or, as Jimm would like, in the Olympic Games.