Rwandan tennis trailblazer honoured at Tennis Black List Awards
Thierry Ntwali has been the ITF Development Officer for East and Central Africa since 2011 and has played a key role in advancing tennis across the region by supporting national federations, organising top-level tournaments and implementing development programs like the Junior Tennis Initiative.
He has previously held leadership roles in Rwanda's sports community, including Technical Director of the Rwanda Tennis Federation, national coach, Davis Cup captain, and Executive Director of the National Olympic Committee. He was also Rwanda's Chef de Mission at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
For his achievements, Ntwali has been honoured with the International Trailblazer award at this year's edition of the Tennis Black List awards, presented in association with Dante Talent and held during the HSBC Championships at The Queen's Club, London on the 11th of June, supported by the LTA.
'It is an honour to receive the International Trailblazer award from the Tennis Black List,' said Ntwali. 'I am proud, humbled and filled with gratitude.
'As someone who has dedicated more than a decade to the development of tennis in East and Central Africa, this recognition is deeply meaningful, not just for me personally but for the entire region.
'It shines a light on the often-unseen efforts taking place to grow the game in communities where tennis is still emerging. This award reinforces the belief that with commitment, collaboration and a shared vision, we can break barriers and create lasting change.'
Tennis Black List is the global celebration of Black and mixed black excellence across the game — spotlighting the unsung, the visionary and the next generation of changemakers.
Taking place in the run up to The Championships at Wimbledon, the Tennis Black List recognises the contributions of individuals and organisations from grassroots level up to the professional game in Britain and internationally.
It follows the example set by the successful and respected Football Black List, created by Leon Mann MBE and Rodney Hinds, and Rugby Black List which have demonstrated the power that celebrating black excellence can achieve in sport.
The event was an opportunity to inspire the next generation in the tennis community, with the commitment shown by the winners on and off the court.
Awards were handed out in ten categories across the evening at the ceremony, with several recipients present at the The Queen's Club.
Founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey Addo said: 'This movement is about legacy. Tennis Black List is creating space for Black and mixed-black heritage excellence to be seen, honoured and remembered across all areas of tennis. We are building a global legacy that makes space for what is next.'
Launched in 2022; Tennis Black List is the only global platform dedicated to celebrating and documenting Black and mixed-black impact in tennis — from grassroots organisers to elite players. A movement rooted in recognition, legacy, and cultural celebration.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Incredible reason why Mondo Duplantis has now broken the pole vault world record TWELVE times - and it's earned him almost £1m
Mondo Duplantis rose the bar further on Sunday as the double Olympic champion broke the men's pole vault record for the 12th time in his career, netting another financial reward in the process. The Swedish superstar achieved a clearance of 6.28m at the Diamond League in Stockholm. Duplantis had earned victory in the event before setting his sights on achieving his aim of breaking the world record in front of a home crowd for the first time. The 25-year-old attempted to increase his world record by one centimetre from his previous height of 6.27 metres on February 28. Duplantis cleared the 6.28m height at the first attempted before taking his vest off in celebration and joining his fiancee Desire Inglander and family in the stands. In total, it was the 12th time Duplantis has broken the world record since achieving the feat for the first time in 2020 when he cleared 6.17m, surpassing the previous best height achieved by France's Renaud Lavillenie. Duplantis' decision to continue breaking the world record in one centimetre installments is due to prize money he can earn. The Swedish star can scoop a maximum $100,000 in prize money, depending on the event, if he achieves a world record at an competition. DUPLANTIS' DOZEN WORLD RECORDS 8 February, 2020 - 6.17m 15 February, 2020 - 6.18m 7 March, 2022 - 6.19m 20 March, 2022 - 6.20m 24 July, 2022 - 6.21m 25 February, 2023 - 6.22m 17 September, 2023 - 6.23m 20 April, 2024 - 6.24m 5 August, 2024 - 6.25m 25 August, 2024 - 6.26m 28 February, 2025 - 6.27m 15 June, 2025 - 6.28m The incentive makes it more lucrative for Duplantis to incrementally increase the record, rather than look for one single extraordinary height. Prize money for breaking the world record is also capped, with a bonus available only once per meeting. Duplantis' approach has become commonplace among pole vaulters in the past with Ukrainian Sergey Bubka and Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva having done so in their careers to maximise bonuses. Bubka set the men's world record outdoors 17 times during his career, while Isinbayeva broke the women's mark on 28 occasions during her career. In total, Duplantis is estimated to have earned almost £1million alone in world record bonuses. Speaking after his latest record, the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic champion admitted achieving the feat in front of a home crowd had been one of his main goals. 'I'm just so glad that it could come together and that I was able to do it,' Duplantis told 'It was one of my biggest goals for the year - actually, for the past few years - to break the world record here. It's such a special feeling [so] I'm trying to enjoy it. 'I think the jump was the perfect jump on the day. The star was cheered on by his fiancee Desire Inglander from the stands in Stockholm 'There's going to be better jumps in the future; I'm not worried about that. I did the right jump at the right time; that's the only thing that I care about. 'I'm living in the moment, I'm trying to enjoy this right now, that's the most important thing.' The four-time World Athletics men's athlete of the year has already claimed the world indoor title for the third time back in March. He will now set his sights on a third outdoor world title in later this year and potentially raising the bar even further to scoop further bonuses.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Reuters
New Zealand trailblazer Porteous quits competitive freeski
June 16 (Reuters) - Olympic men's halfpipe champion Nico Porteous, the first man from New Zealand to win a gold medal at the Winter Games, will not defend his title in Milan-Cortina next year after deciding to step back from competitive freestyle skiing. The 23-year-old also won two Superpipe X-Games golds, a world title and five World Cup medals in a highly successful career which started in his early teens. Porteous was New Zealand's youngest Olympic medallist when he won a bronze as a 16-year-old at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games before making the breakthrough for his country's men in Beijing three years ago. "I've loved representing New Zealand. Wearing the fern and competing for my country has been the most incredible experience and I'm so proud of what I've achieved," Porteous said in a statement. "This wasn't an easy decision to make but I'm excited to do something new and I feel like the time is right for me to look for a new challenge and new opportunities." Porteous said he would not be hanging up his skies but looking to move into filming, equipment development and different competitive events. "I still love skiing and I want to keep skiing to the best of my abilities and keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the sport," he added. "Ultimately, I'm ready for something new. What that looks like I'm not exactly sure (but I'm) excited to see what the next chapter looks like." Porteous said he would be cheering on New Zealand's freeski team at next February's Winter Olympics in Italy. "It's super inspiring to see this new batch of athletes coming through," he said. "The future of the sport is looking really bright in New Zealand and I can't wait to see them in action in Milan-Cortina."
South Wales Argus
15 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
South African tennis star celebrated at Tennis Black List Awards
Khololwam 'Kholo' Montsi, originally from East London, is coming off the back of his second season at Oklahoma University and enjoyed an incredible 28 singles match-winning streak in 2019, yielding 6 junior titles and 37-1 record. For his incredible achievements at collegiate level, Montsi received the College Player award at this year's edition of the Tennis Black List awards, presented in association with Dante Talent and held during the HSBC Championships at The Queen's Club, London on the 11th of June, supported by the LTA He was one of two names to receive the award, alongside Nigerian and Florida International University student Barakat Oyinlomo Quadre. 'I'm truly honoured and grateful to accept this award,' said Montsi. 'To be recognised amongst many talented and hard-working student-athletes is truly humbling. 'To everyone that has helped me get to this point in my career, I'm truly grateful and I cannot thank you guys enough. "I am truly grateful.' Tennis Black List is the global celebration of Black and mixed black excellence across the game — spotlighting the unsung, the visionary and the next generation of changemakers. Taking place in the run up to The Championships at Wimbledon, the Tennis Black List recognises the contributions of individuals and organisations from grassroots level up to the professional game in Britain and internationally. It follows the example set by the successful and respected Football Black List, created by Leon Mann MBE and Rodney Hinds, and Rugby Black List which have demonstrated the power that celebrating black excellence can achieve in sport. The event was an opportunity to inspire the next generation in the tennis community, with the commitment shown by the winners on and off the court. Awards were handed out in ten categories across the evening at the ceremony, with several recipients present at the The Queen's Club. Founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey Addo said: 'This movement is about legacy. Tennis Black List is creating space for Black and mixed-black heritage excellence to be seen, honoured and remembered across all areas of tennis. We are building a global legacy that makes space for what is next.' Launched in 2022; Tennis Black List is the only global platform dedicated to celebrating and documenting Black and mixed-black impact in tennis — from grassroots organisers to elite players. A movement rooted in recognition, legacy, and cultural celebration.
