No plans to move world cycling event away from Rwanda
Cycling's world governing body, the UCI, says it has no plans to move the 2025 Road World Championships away from Rwanda amid the ongoing conflict in neighbouring DR Congo.Rwanda is set to become the first African nation to host the event from 21-28 September.The M23 rebel group has captured almost all of the eastern Congolese city of Goma and threatened to continue its offensive to the capital, Kinshasa, which is 2,600km (1,600 miles) away.The UCI said it is "closely monitoring developments" and their potential impact on organisation of the championships in Kigali.It added that Rwanda "remains entirely safe for tourism and business" because fighting is confined to DR Congo."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," a statement on the governing body's website said."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."
Cycling official says Rwanda 'is safe'
United Nations experts have accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels, which the authorities in Kigali have previously denied.DR Congo's foreign minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner has told the BBC that Rwanda is illegally occupying her country and attempting to orchestrate regime change.Rwanda's government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo denied the accusation and said its troops were only deployed to prevent the conflict spilling over to its territory.However, the route of the Tour du Rwanda, which beings on 23 February and runs until 2 March, could yet be affected by the situation in DR Congo.Competing teams are scheduled for an overnight stay in Rubavu, which is located just 10km from Goma, in between stages three and four.But a Tour du Rwanda spokesman said that no team has expressed any safety concerns."The war is in [DR] Congo not in Rwanda, why would we change our routes?" the race's head of communications Kayishema Tity Thierry told BBC Sport Africa."[Teams] know how Rwanda keeps its promise. If we say we are safe that means we are safe."President Kagame promised Rwandans to continue their usual business and go home sleep well."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Motorhome and campervan drivers face new 48-hour parking rule in England – check if you are affected
MOTORHOME and campervan owners should take note of proposed parking rules reported to be under consideration. With the summer months now upon us, many motorhome drivers will want to take their vehicles out for a trip to enjoy the warmer weather. 2 2 The new proposed regulation would apply to such vehicles when parking. It would let motorhomes and campervans stay in towns and cities for up to 48 hours for a set price. This comes as the 80 per cent of motorcaravan owners say they would visit new areas if such parking facilities were available, according to the Campaign for Real Aires. Donald Macdonald, founder and President of CAMpRA, said: "This research confirms previous surveys that have been carried out over a number of years regarding how much people spend when they visit somewhere in a motorhome or campervan. "It gives us some really solid statistical evidence that we can share with local authorities and businesses to help them understand the importance of trying to accommodate this new style of tourism and the clear financial advantage to local communities that embrace this type of tourism." Steve Haywood, managing director of CAMpRA, said there is "clear demand" for these vehicles as staycations grow in popularity. He said: "More councils are seeing the benefits of providing facilities over the cost to local taxpayers of enforcement and bans, not to mention the loss of potential revenue to businesses. "In addition, every council that has operated a 12-month trial aire, has been successful and made the overnight parking permanent." Birmingham Live reports one driver saying: "Currently sitting in an Aire in Beaune France. "Costing me 12 Euros and short walk into town centre for a meal. Drivers hit with $50 tickets over Costco parking rule – they came out to find slips on cars after being forced to circle "If hadn't been available then more expensive campsite and cook own meal would have been the alternative. "It is a no brainer." Another said: "I would rather pay the extra pennies to visit main land Europe due to parking being awful in the UK and most campers not being welcomed in a lot of places." It comes following a warning to caravan owners that they could face a £1,000 fine for not towing their trailers properly. The DVSA has urged motorists to book safety checks before setting off on holiday so they can avoid fines. Anyone caught towing a caravan without the proper mirrors will face a fine of up to £1,000 and three points on their licence.
Top Gear
2 hours ago
- Top Gear
Privateer Ferrari wins Le Mans 24 Hours for historic three-peat
Motorsport Prancing Horse's dominance continues, as Robert Kubica completes astonishing redemption story Skip 10 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Ferrari took victory at this weekend's 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, securing an historic three-peat that will be remembered for decades to come. The #51 Ferrari 499P won the French endurance race's centenary event in 2023 – the first Le Mans of the Hypercar era – and its #50 sister car took victory last year: in 2025 it was the turn of the AF Corse team's identical #83, making it the first outright privateer win at Le Mans since 2005. Advertisement - Page continues below Along with the third different Ferrari to win in as many years, it was the third different driver line-up: Robert Kubica took the chequered flag to become the first Polish winner, and teammate Yifei Ye is the first Chinese winner. For Phil Hanson, he is the 35th British winner and it's his second taste of victory at La Sarthe following an LMP2 class win in 2020. He's also the third-ever Brit to win for Ferrari, after James Calado (2023) and Lord Selsdon, who co-drove a 166M to Ferrari's first Le Mans win in 1949. You might like For Kubica and Ye, the victory was all the sweeter due to past hardships. The Pole had signed to race for the Ferrari Formula 1 team in 2012, but his devastating rally crash in 2011 ended those hopes. Racing together at Le Mans in 2021, the pair suffered heartbreak when a last-lap electrical failure robbed them of an LMP2 class victory. Ye, too, also crashed heavily at Le Mans in 2023 when leading in a privateer Porsche 963 . 'The emotions haven't really hit yet,' Hanson told Top Gear after the race. 'It's just relief – it'll take a little bit of time to process what happened. The last hour was the longest of my life, and the last minutes were horrible. My teammates, when I raced against them in LMP2, they DNF'd on the final lap so I know what Le Mans can do. I wasn't taking anything for granted.' Advertisement - Page continues below The top-tier category at the world's most famous endurance race is arguably at an all-time high, surpassing even the Group C era, with Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota all competing. Yet this was arguably Ferrari's most comfortable win of the three, a victory seemingly never in doubt after the first hour. This first half of 2025's World Endurance Championship had already provided an ominous sign: Ferrari had won all three races prior to this one, despite struggling away from WEC's headline race in 2023 and 2024. And while the FIA's Balance of Performance (BOP) rules that attempt to keep the racing close are unique to Le Mans, this year's WEC dominance and two previous Le Mans wins meant the smart money was on a Ferrari victory. READ MORE Robert Kubica in rally crash Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. Still, there were hopes after qualifying that the race would be wide open, with Cadillac securing the front row, and Porsche and BMW each having two cars ahead of the fastest #50 Ferrari in seventh. The second factory Ferrari started 11th and the AF Corse car in 13th. However, rumours swirled in the paddock that Ferrari might have been sandbagging, and the Caddy drivers openly talked down both their speed on the straights and a chance of victory. That proved to be true as the two leading Porsche Penske 963s quickly picked off the American V-Series.R machines, while the #6 Porsche (starting from the back of the Hypercar class after being disqualified from qualifying for being underweight) stormed up to fifth in the first hour in the hands of Kevin Estre. The Ferraris then hauled in the Cadillacs, and gradually the Porsches, to the point that five hours in the #50 was leading a 1-2-3 – but the #6 Porsche stayed in touch. There was hope around of closer racing through the night, after the #50 and #51 picked up a string of penalties, leaving the #83 as the only Ferrari in the top five. The sole safety car also mixed up the order somewhat, but with no further interruptions and no rain throughout the race, all three Ferraris were back in front with 18 hours to go. A race is never over until it's over though. When Top Gear popped into the Ferrari pit garage on Sunday morning to witness the leading #51 stop for fuel, tyres and a driver change, all was quiet and calm. But on the way to its next stop a dozen or so laps later, Alessandro Pier Guidi spun on his entry into the pit lane. He managed to crawl out of the gravel, but the time lost saw his car drop to third. Yifei Ye, at the wheel of the privateer #83 Ferrari 499P took the lead, before handing over to Kubica for a marathon three-and-a-half-hour stint, all with his driver-cooling system malfunctioning. The chasing #6 Porsche got close but never cut the lead into single-digit seconds. It was a heroic comeback for the #6, which held off the other Ferraris to finish second. With 65 minutes to go, the factory Ferraris divulged over team radio that victory was out of reach, and while they swapped positions multiple times to try and overhaul the Porsche ahead, first the #51 and then the #50 succumbed to problems that slowed their pace and left Estre in the Porsche to nail out a succession of qualifying laps to close down the privateer Ferrari. Ultimately the #51 Ferrari rounded out the podium. The win was Ferrari's 12th outright at Le Mans, and the three-peat will doubtless be remembered in Ferrari folklore on a level with its first victory in 1949, and its six straight between 1960 and 1965. Before the race, Alessandro Pier Guidi from the #51 was asked if three wins on the bounce in WEC, and two previous Le Mans victories, meant there was extra pressure on Ferrari going into this year's 24 Hours. 'To be honest, no,' he laughed. 'The pressure is on the guys that have never won anything.' Three Le Mans races into the Hypercar era, that remains poignantly true for the other manufacturers.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Can Liam Delap find the back of the net in his Chelsea debut? He is 3/1 to score first against Los Angeles FC Monday
Chelsea are sizeable odds-on favourites at 2/9 to win their first group game of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Monday - as they take on Los Angeles FC in Atlanta. Meanwhile, if you're anticipating an upset - Los Angeles FC are 17/2 outsiders and a draw is priced at 5/1. For those in search of longer odds - Blues recruit Liam Delap is a 3/1 favourite to score first according to Sky Bet. Delap was strong for Ipswich Town in an otherwise disappointing season for the Tractor Boys - with the talented striker netting 12 goals at a league level. His teammates Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer are the next best-backed in the market to bag the opener - with the pair priced at 9/2 and 5/1 respectively. Jackson and Palmer combined to score 28 goals across all competitions this season. Conversely, if you're tipping LA to get on the scoresheet first - Denis Bouanga is the shortest-priced for the underdogs at 11/1. Sky Bet odds for Chelsea vs Los Angeles FC: Chelsea 2/9 Los Angeles FC 17/2 Draw 5/1 Sky Bet odds in Goalscorers market for Chelsea vs Los Angeles FC: Liam Delap 3/1 Cole Palmer 4/1 Nicolas Jackson 9/2 Denis Bouanga 11/1
