Latest news with #RoadWorldChampionships
Reuters
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Rwanda gets backing from world cycling chief despite blowback over Congo war
PARIS, March 20 (Reuters) - The head of world cycling said the Road World Championships would go ahead in Rwanda in September, dismissing criticism from human rights groups who accuse Kigali of using sports to burnish its image while backing rebels fighting in neighbouring Congo. Hosting the event, which typically draws the world's top cyclists and has never previously been held in Africa, would be a public relations success for Rwanda at a time when it is facing diplomatic pushback over its actions in Congo. Western powers have sanctioned Rwandans over the country's support for M23 rebels who have seized a large swathe of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo this year, while sports executives have maintained partnerships with Rwanda. David Lappartient, head of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and a candidate to lead the International Olympic Committee in Thursday's election, told Reuters he had recently discussed Congo with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali. "Here we have a situation which, without going into detail, is aimed at preventing a general return to a genocidal climate on Rwanda's borders," he said, echoing Rwanda's disputed position on what its forces are doing in Congo. Congo says Rwanda's army is fighting alongside M23 to seize territory and plunder its mineral wealth. Rwanda accuses Congo of harbouring a Hutu militia intent on persecuting Tutsis, the ethnic group targeted in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and says it must defend itself against that existential threat. The European Union on Monday sanctioned several Rwandan army officers, a Rwandan gold refinery and a mining official over the fighting in Congo and the smuggling of Congolese minerals. The United States last month announced sanctions against a Rwandan minister and close Kagame ally, James Kabarebe, for orchestrating Rwandan support for M23 and the export of minerals extracted from Congo. "SPORTSWASHING" Lappartient said he and Kagame agreed that sport was not a sanctioning tool. "As of today, we don't have any elements that mean we shouldn't go to Rwanda. And we haven't been working on plan Bs, so we're not working on plan Bs today. We're working on plan A, which is Rwanda," he said. Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said UCI should not lend itself to what he called Rwanda's "sportswashing", or using sports to create a positive image while deflecting attention from its actions in Congo. "If they go ahead, it shows that they are acting in complete indifference to the suffering of the Congolese people," he said. Rwanda sponsors soccer clubs Arsenal, Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich, whose players have "Visit Rwanda" emblazoned on their shirts. In December, Kagame announced a bid to host a Formula One race. Rwanda also has a close partnership with the Basketball Africa League (BAL), which is run jointly by the NBA and the sport's world governing body FIBA. Congo's foreign minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner has called on the three soccer clubs to end what she called their "blood-stained" Rwandan sponsorship deals, and has made similar appeals to Formula One and the NBA. The soccer clubs declined to comment. Formula One said it was closely monitoring developments and would make decisions based on "the best interests of our sport and our values". The NBA's Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum told Reuters it wanted to use basketball to make a positive impact on people and that as well as the BAL games being hosted this season in Kigali, Dakar, Pretoria and Rabat, it was running youth basketball clinics and community service projects. "We will continue to monitor developments closely and follow the U.S. government's directives and guidance regarding our engagement in the region," he said. Rwanda's government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said the charge of sportswashing was "a petty and tired trope pushed by those who want to perpetuate negative stereotypes of non-Western countries like Rwanda".
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Belgian cycling team withdraws from Tour of Rwanda because of conflict in neighboring Congo
BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian cycling team Soudal-Quick Step has withdrawn its development team from the upcoming Tour of Rwanda because of safely fears over the violent conflict in neighboring Congo. Some 3,000 people have been killed and nearly as many injured since late January in eastern Congo, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels recently captured the key city of Goma. Soudal-QuickStep CEO Jurgen Foré told Belgian broadcaster Sporza on Friday that staff members of the team were concerned about the fighting near the start and finish area of one stage of the race, which is due to take place from Feb. 23 to March 2. 'We started looking at the advice from the (Belgian) ministry of foreign affairs on Monday and that shows a number of points of attention. Especially for the region with the border with Goma,' Foré said. Organizers of the Tour of Rwanda said Thursday that that were was only 'one occasion recently when this fighting has briefly directly affected those living on the Rwandan side of the border. All measures have been taken to ensure that this doesn't happen again.' They said life in Rwanda 'continues as normal' and that 'riders, teams and supporters can be assured of a safe and enjoyable event.' Rwanda is due to host cycling's Road World Championships from Sept. 21-28. ___ AP sports:
Associated Press
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Belgian cycling team withdraws from Tour of Rwanda because of conflict in neighboring Congo
BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian cycling team Soudal-Quick Step has withdrawn its development team from the upcoming Tour of Rwanda because of safely fears over the violent conflict in neighboring Congo. Some 3,000 people have been killed and nearly as many injured since late January in eastern Congo, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels recently captured the key city of Goma. Soudal-QuickStep CEO Jurgen Foré told Belgian broadcaster Sporza on Friday that staff members of the team were concerned about the fighting near the start and finish area of one stage of the race, which is due to take place from Feb. 23 to March 2. 'We started looking at the advice from the (Belgian) ministry of foreign affairs on Monday and that shows a number of points of attention. Especially for the region with the border with Goma,' Foré said. Organizers of the Tour of Rwanda said Thursday that that were was only 'one occasion recently when this fighting has briefly directly affected those living on the Rwandan side of the border. All measures have been taken to ensure that this doesn't happen again.' They said life in Rwanda 'continues as normal' and that 'riders, teams and supporters can be assured of a safe and enjoyable event.' Rwanda is due to host cycling's Road World Championships from Sept. 21-28.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Team to miss Tour du Rwanda over safety concerns
Soudal-QuickStep have pulled their development team out of the Tour du Rwanda because of safety concerns amid an ongoing conflict in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. The M23 rebel group has captured almost all of the eastern Congolese city of Goma, which is the largest city in eastern DR Congo and borders Rwanda. The Tour du Rwanda is scheduled to take place between 23 February and 2 March, with some of its seven stages passing close to DR Congo. Competing teams are scheduled for an overnight stay in Rubavu, which is located just over six miles (10km) from Goma, between stages three and four. "We looked at the situation yesterday. The start and finish in the risk area, where our hotel is also located, did worry us a bit," Soudal-QuickStep chief executive Jurgen Fore told Belgian website Sporza. "In the end, we made the decision not to send 20 people there if there was no absolute guarantee that this could be done safely." Earlier this week, Tour du Rwanda organisers released a statement saying the race would go ahead as planned and "riders, teams and supporters can be assured of a safe and enjoyable event". Rwanda is set to become the first African nation to host the Road World Championships later this year, with the event scheduled to take place in Kigali from 21-28 September. Kigali is 60 miles as the crow flies from Goma, while the shortest drive between the two cities by road is a 100-mile route through western Rwanda's mountainous terrain. Cycling's world governing body, the UCI, has said it has no plans to move the competition away from Rwanda.
BBC News
08-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Team to miss Tour du Rwanda over safety concerns
Soudal-QuickStep have pulled their development team out of the Tour du Rwanda because of safety concerns amid an ongoing conflict in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of M23 rebel group has captured almost all of the eastern Congolese city of Goma, which is the largest city in eastern DR Congo and borders Tour du Rwanda is scheduled to take place between 23 February and 2 March, with some of its seven stages passing close to DR teams are scheduled for an overnight stay in Rubavu, which is located just over six miles (10km) from Goma, between stages three and four."We looked at the situation yesterday. The start and finish in the risk area, where our hotel is also located, did worry us a bit," Soudal-QuickStep chief executive Jurgen Fore told Belgian website Sporza., external"In the end, we made the decision not to send 20 people there if there was no absolute guarantee that this could be done safely."Earlier this week, Tour du Rwanda organisers released a statement, external saying the race would go ahead as planned and "riders, teams and supporters can be assured of a safe and enjoyable event".Rwanda is set to become the first African nation to host the Road World Championships later this year, with the event scheduled to take place in Kigali from 21-28 is 60 miles as the crow flies from Goma, while the shortest drive between the two cities by road is a 100-mile route through western Rwanda's mountainous world governing body, the UCI, has said it has no plans to move the competition away from Rwanda.
