One of the famous Rwandan female referee Salma Radia Mukansanga is among referees to officiate at the Tokyo Olympics games set to take place from July 21 to August 7 especially the opening game opposing Great Britain against Chile on Wednesday, Sports source confirmed to APA in Kigali.
The 30-year-old is also among candidates for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 set for Australia-New Zealand.
Reputed as the best and most popular female referee Rwanda has ever produced, Mukansanga was the sole African match official at the U-17 Women’s World Cup, and is one of only three African referees at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup along with Gladys Lengwe of Zambia and Ethiopia’s Lidya Tafesse Abebe.
Mukansanga’s first international tournament was the women’s football competition at the 2015 All-Africa Games in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
Among others, she was in charge of the opening match between Nigeria and Tanzania, and the semi-final clash between Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Mukansanga is the only female central referee in the 2018/2019 Azam Rwanda Premier League season.
In 2016, Mukansanga was among 47 referees that handled the Africa Women Cup of Nations in Cameroon, and was in charge of the tournament’s final match between the hosts and Nigeria, which ended 1-0 in favor of the Super Falcons of Nigeria.
CU/abj/APA