Kuva i Paris mu Bufaransa kugera mu Murenge wa Bweyeye mu Burengerazuba bw’u Rwanda, uhasanga imipira yitwa Lacoste, iyi mipira uyibwirwa n’akamenyetso k’ingona kaba kari ahagana hejuru ku gituza cy’ibumoso.
Iyi mipira yaje kuba ikimenyabose ku buryo, imipira itariho n’icyo kirango yaje kwitwa Lacoste, biba nk’ikirango cy’imipira yo kwambara.
Byatangiye mu mwaka w’i 1927 ubwo kapiteni w’ikipe y’igihugu y’u Bufaransa y’umukino wa Tennis yashyiriragaho intego umwe mu bakinnyi be w’igihangange witwa René LACOSTE mu marushanwa ya “COUPE DAVIS” .
Kapiteni yari yabwiye uyu mukinnyi we yizeraga ko naramuka afashije ikipe y’ubufaransa ikitwara neza mu marushanwa mu gihe atsinze umukino w’ingenzi, azamuhemba ivarisi nziza cyane ikozwe mu ruhu rw’ingona (nizo varisi zari zigezweho kandi zihenze cyane muri icyo gihe).
Bitewe n’ukuntu uyu René Lacoste yitwaraga mu kibuga, abanyamerika bamwise aga-surnom ka “The Crocodile” (ingona).
Impamvu nuko uyu mukinnyi atateshukaga ku ntego ze kuburyo yashyirwaga ari uko ageze ku byo yiyemeje, bityo bamugereranya n’ingona kubera yuko nayo iyo yirukankanye ikintu ari mpaka ikigezeho.
Inshuti ye yitwaga Robert George yaje kumushushanyiriza ingona kw’ikote yagiye yambaye ku kibuga noneho byerekana ko ari nk’ingona koko, nawe kandi arabyishimira cyane.
Ntibyatinze mu mwaka w’i 1933, René Lacoste afatanyije na André Gillier bashinga uruganda rukora imipira yo kwambara barwita “LACOSTE” noneho ikimenyetso kiranga uruganda bashyiraho ingona.
Imipira ya mbere uru ruganda rwakoze yasaga nk’umweru, ifite amaboko magufi kandi iriho akamenyetso k’ingona imbere. Ninabwo bwa mbere mu mateka ikimenyetso cy’uruganda cyashyizwe inyuma ku mipira nkuko tubibona ku mipira ya Lacoste.
Iyi mipira yahise ikundwa cyane n’abakinnyi ba tennis ku buryo muri icyo gihe no kugeza nubu ariyo bajya ku kibuga bambaye. Nyuma n’abantu basanzwe batangira kuyambara isakara hose.
Kugeza ubu Lacoste yahindutse uruganda rwa rutura mu Isi rukora imyambaro, aho rumaze imyaka 90.
Lacoste kuva muri 2015 iyoborwa na Thierry Guibert, Umunyemari Maus Fréres akaba nyiri ruganda.
Lacoste mu mwaka ushize wa 2022 yinjije asaga miliyari ebyiri na miliyoni magana atanu z’amadorali ya Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika.
MUGIRANEZA THIERRY / UMUSEKE.RW