Kigali 2025 - National Federations consider participation at Rwanda Worlds due to sky-high costs
'If no affordable solution is found, I fear that we will have to make decisions' says Belgian Cycling General Director
Increased financial cost is said to be leading several national federations to consider whether to send full delegations to the 2025 Road Cycling World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, according to the General Director of Belgian Cycling Nathalie Clauwaert.
The Championships is set to make history as the first of its kind in Africa, building on the success of Biniam Girmay at this year’s Tour de France as the UCI looks to develop the sport in the continent. However, Clauwaert has been surprised by the cost of participating in the event and is considering all options to reduce outgoings.
“In terms of budget, I am a bit apprehensive about the World Championships in Rwanda,” Clauwaert said to Het Laatste Nieuws in an interview where she discussed the difficulties many federations are facing when it comes to the financial resources needed to fully participate in the sport.
Clauwaert said that businesses in Kigali are attempting to take full advantage of the event, at the cost of those participating. The expense is so great that the Belgian Cycling Federation are considering their place in the Championships.
“Because this World Championships is seen as a once in a lifetime, the hotel sector near the capital Kigali is trying to squeeze every last drop out of it, resulting in astronomical room prices. The provisional cost of this trip is twice as high as the World Championships in Australia [in 2022]. We are currently still negotiating vigorously with hotels, but so far without result.”
“If no affordable solution is found, I fear that we will have to make decisions. Sending a mini-delegation to Kigali is a possibility. We are not alone. Even British Cycling, known for its large budgets, is not yet certain of participating in the World Cup in Rwanda.”
Global Peloton contacted British Cycling for a response to Clauwaert’s claims.
“Obviously, everything is subject to change but at the moment we are very much planning on attending the 2024 UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda,” a British Cycling representative said.
Clauwaert is critical of the UCI’s role, telling HLN that she thinks the could be doing more to remedy the situation.
“It is also the responsibility of the UCI to come up with a structural solution for the participants in the World Championships, or will participation in a World Cycling Championship in the future only be accessible to the most wealthy?”
The Championships, although seen by many as a great success for the globalisation of cycling, has already been rocked by the arrests of the Rwanda Cycling Federation’s two top men in 2023 on suspicion of favouritism, forgery, and falsification. Around the same time, the organiser for the Worlds, who in also put together February’s Tour du Rwanda, also resigned.
Since then, replacements have been found for the Federation roles and ASO and Golazo have stepped in as organisers for the Championships, with Golazo also running the Tour du Rwanda.
The 2025 Road World Championships is set to take place between the 21st and 28th of September next year.
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