Rwanda: Teams wait on advice from race organisers, while rumours of Worlds 'plan B' denied by UCI
All the latest on the Rwanda conflict and its impact on the Worlds and Tour du Rwanda
Last week the news broke that the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group had seized control of Goma, a city of two-million people on the border between DR Congo and Rwanda. The news has impacted the sport of cycling with concerns for the World Championships scheduled to be held in Kigali in September, and the proximity of Goma to the route of the upcoming Tour du Rwanda.
Since writing a story on these events last week, I’ve had some feedback from several members of the African cycling community, mostly attempting to calm fears of a safety risk to the upcoming Tour du Rwanda - stage four finishes less than 15km from Goma.
“There is no concern,” one person said of the safety situation in Rwanda. Now, I do actually agree that it is most likely that if the Tour du Rwanda does go through Rubavu on the DRC border in three weeks, the race will be safe. Conflict in eastern DRC has been ongoing since the 1990s, and Rwanda has been entirely peaceful during the last week. One person pointed to the fact that M23 seized Goma in 2012 on the day of stage one of the Tour du Rwanda, with minimal impact on the race.
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The difference is that in 2012, the Tour of Rwanda was not a large-scale, international event. Teams didn’t travel over from Europe, and fewer than 70 riders took part. Today, the eyes of the world are on the country set to host Africa’s first World Championships. Assurances that all will be fine are well and good, but will they satisfy the management of risk-averse top teams like Israel-Premier Tech, Picnic-PostNL and UAE Team Emirates (the latter two are scheduled to send their development teams to the Tour du Rwanda)?
Safety can never be guaranteed at international events, wherever in the world they are held. Scenes in Rwanda have been perfectly peaceful to this point. It will be interesting to see the decisions made by teams in terms of their attendance at the Tour du Rwanda. It will tell us a lot about the prospects for the World Championships in a little over seven months.
In the last few days, organisers, national federations and the UCI have had their say, while rumours circulate about the World Championships and the conflict rumbles on in DR Congo. Here’s the latest:
At least 770 killed in DR Congo as M23 rebels move south
The UN, who have a major base in Goma, have said that more than 770 people have been killed over the last week during the fighting in Goma, a further 2,800 have been injured and thousands more were displaced - many of whom have now gone back home to Goma.
The rebels are now reported to be moving south towards Bukavu, the capital of the South Kivu province of DRC.
According to reports, life has largely returned to normal in Goma, now under the control of M23. However, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi has vowed to retaliate with force and reclaim the city, which has led some to question whether there may be a wider war to come in DR Congo and even across East Africa.
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Teams seeking advice as Tour du Rwanda organisation bullish on race safety
From contact with teams, Global Peloton understands that those scheduled to compete in the Tour du Rwanda are waiting on the advice of the UCI and organisers as to whether the race is safe enough to compete in. No team has pulled out of the race at this point.
On Tuesday afternoon Israel-Premier Tech - who won the 2024 edition of the Tour du Rwanda through Joseph Blackmore - affirmed their participation in the race by releasing a statement to Global Peloton which said:
“Israel – Premier Tech remains committed to racing the Tour du Rwanda, commencing the end of February. The team is in contact with race organizers and relevant parties to ensure the safety of the race and has full confidence in race organizers to make any necessary decisions regarding the race route.”
Kayishema Tity Thierry, Tour du Rwanda Head of Communications told BBC Sport Africa:
"The war is in [DR] Congo not in Rwanda, why would we change our routes?"
"[Teams] know how Rwanda keeps its promise. If we say we are safe that means we are safe.”
Events company Golazo support the Rwandan cycling federation in organising the Tour du Rwanda. Representative Geert van Goolen said on Belgian TV that: “it is possible that the war in eastern Congo will have an influence. The conflict has been going on in that region for a long time, it has only escalated very recently. We still have to see how it will develop.”
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UCI deny rumours that they have arranged a ‘plan b’
On Friday morning, rumours circulated in the Belgian press that an alternative plan for the 2025 World Championships was being drawn up. The rumours suggested that the UCI had already agreed to host the World Championships in Martigny, Switzerland, should Rwanda be deemed unsafe.
The UCI responded by releasing a statement saying: “following the spread of rumours on this subject, the UCI clarifies that no relocation of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships from Rwanda to Switzerland or any other location is planned at this time.”
They added that “Rwanda remains entirely safe for tourism and business.”
“We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution of the situation. The UCI wishes to emphasise that sport, and cycling in particular, are powerful ambassadors for peace, friendship, and solidarity.”
For more, read this article by Jeremy Whittle for Velo
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*Will Kigali 2025 become the World Championships with an asterisk?*
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Thanks for covering this ongoing story. The UCI could be exploring a contingency plan while still not formally “planning a relocation.” I’m sure they are making a Plan B
Rwanda is failed state..should not have WC