{"id":86271,"date":"2024-10-03T16:46:43","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T16:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/new-push-to-engage-more-women-in-motorsport"},"modified":"2024-10-03T17:16:59","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T17:16:59","slug":"new-push-to-engage-more-women-in-motorsport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/new-push-to-engage-more-women-in-motorsport","title":{"rendered":"New push to engage more women in motorsport"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC) president Christian Gakwaya has said that they looking at attracting more women in the motorsport.<\/p>\n

Queen Kalimpinya is one of the very few female car racers in Africa. She is the only woman regularly participating at local rally competitions as main driver.<\/p>\n

Her interest and dedication to motorsport has kept many wondering where she got the courage to take on this sport that is usually too intimidating for many.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you love will love you back and what you want will love you,\u201d Kalimpinya told Times Sport in a past interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has their own talents, hobbies and interests. In my childhood, I was with my older brother, everything he did I did because I felt like I didn’t do anything because I am a girl. So I found myself liking boys’ games.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former Miss Rwanda contestant\u2019s consistent participation in various rally races organised in Rwanda has left a number of women inspired.<\/p>\n

It the female drive who made media personality Sandrine Isheja Butera, for instance, pick interest in motorsport.<\/p>\n

Queen Kalimpinya during Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally in Bugesera in 2022. File<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore her, I didn’t really pay much attention to rally racing because it was such a male-dominated sport. I didn’t feel like I belonged. But she changed that and opened the doors for other women like me,\u201d Isheja said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe always mentioned how exciting the sport is and she invites every woman she meets to try it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kalimpinya has shown what a Rwandan woman can achieve in motorsport. However, having more of them into the sport remains a challenge.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Times Sport, Gakwaya admitted that, “It is hard to say that we will do this but we are doing mobilization to have many girls and women who play this sport. We are committed to to empower young women through this sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are now doing all we can to mobilize and try to see if we can get many of them, it will not be easy to introduce more women to sport but we will keep on trying,\u201d he added<\/p>\n

\u201cFor women to join motorsport, we are advocating for them, it is something we are working on. We will keep on trying our best to encourage young ladies to join.\u201d<\/p>\n\r\n