March 2016 - 2nd Amahoro (Peace) Tournament
Tournament Recap
Written by: Alexis in Portland, OR
March 14 - 24, 2016 marked the second Amahoro (peace) tournament in Bujumbura, Burundi. Young men, ages 14 - 18, from 8 different neighborhoods participated in the second tournament.
The local neighborhoods held their own try-outs that helped them to form their teams. Youth from the neighborhoods practiced together and made team selections. The teams that were involved were Conforti, Cuma FC, Familiya, Fraternite, Hope FC, Kamenge FC, Kavumu FC and Nuru FC.
This tournament, the second ever of the Amahoro tournaments, followed a similar pattern as the first. At the beginning of each round teams gathered together to hear a message of peace and community responsibility then pray together for the country, the needs of children and families represented in the tournament, among other issues. Once the message was delivered, the games were on!
The tournament was held on 4 separate days over a 2 week period of time. Because we believe sport transcends differences, during breaks between games refreshments were provided for participants to enjoy as they spent time relaxing and interacting with other participants.
Since there were 8 teams involved, there were quarter and semi finals leading up to the final game that took place on Thursday, March 24th. In this game, Kavumu FC defeated Kamenge FC 2 to 1.
It is estimated that there were over 1,000 family, friends and community members who came to encourage their local youth as they participated in the event!
The local neighborhoods held their own try-outs that helped them to form their teams. Youth from the neighborhoods practiced together and made team selections. The teams that were involved were Conforti, Cuma FC, Familiya, Fraternite, Hope FC, Kamenge FC, Kavumu FC and Nuru FC.
This tournament, the second ever of the Amahoro tournaments, followed a similar pattern as the first. At the beginning of each round teams gathered together to hear a message of peace and community responsibility then pray together for the country, the needs of children and families represented in the tournament, among other issues. Once the message was delivered, the games were on!
The tournament was held on 4 separate days over a 2 week period of time. Because we believe sport transcends differences, during breaks between games refreshments were provided for participants to enjoy as they spent time relaxing and interacting with other participants.
Since there were 8 teams involved, there were quarter and semi finals leading up to the final game that took place on Thursday, March 24th. In this game, Kavumu FC defeated Kamenge FC 2 to 1.
It is estimated that there were over 1,000 family, friends and community members who came to encourage their local youth as they participated in the event!