Cycling: 2025 Road World Championships to be held in Kigali (Rwanda), a first in Africa

Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, will host the 2025 World Road Cycling Championships, according to the International Cycling Union (UCI) on 23/09/2021. This is a first for the African continent.

Hosting the World Championships on African soil was one of David Lappartient's campaign promises when he was elected to head the body in 2017. Rwanda has been hosting the Tour of Rwanda since 2009, an event that now welcomes UCI WorldTour teams. Its 2021 edition was moved from February to May due to the pandemic.

"Cycling is the fastest growing sport in Rwanda. This gives us legitimacy to organise this kind of event (Tour of Rwanda), not only at the continental level but also at the global level. Cycling contributes to the economy of our country because it generates interest that goes beyond our borders," said Paul Kagame to the French sports daily L'Équipe on 15/05/2021. The president of the African country is encouraging his country's sports soft power policy, as demonstrated by its agreement with Arsenal FC (Premier League, see below).

• Rwanda Development Board, the Rwandan agency for…