UPDATE: UCI denies plans to move Rwanda World Championships amidst armed tensions in East Congo
Cycling
The 2025 season began this January with high expectations for the World Cycling Championships. For the first time in history, it will be held in Africa. Specifically, the venue will be Rwanda, with a brutal route that will favour the best climbers in the world. However, armed tensions in eastern Congo have forced the UCI to reconsider the edition.
As reported by HLN, the situation in Congo is becoming increasingly serious: the offensive of the M23 rebels, supported by Rwanda, threatens to set the entire border region on fire. The Belgian federation had planned a reconnaissance of the route in February. However, it had to be cancelled.
For the moment, the area where the World Championship in Rwanda will be raced is quiet and citizens can walk through the streets. The problem is that nothing ensures that this will still be the case in 8 months, when the Worlds arrive.The UCI has not yet issued any official statement on the matter. However, HLN states that the organisation is "quietly working on a plan B, an alternative in case the armed crisis in Congo spreads to Rwanda and things get dangerous".
Beyond the ethical and moral question of holding a World Championship in such conditions, organizing a Worlds from scratch a few months before it is held is a very, very difficult task. For this reason, plan B is being considered in Switzerland, specifically in the region of Aigle. That is where the UCI headquarters are located.
In 2020, the World Championshi should have been held in Martignly, near Aigle. The COVID pandemic prevented it from being held. Now, this site could be "recycled" to save the competition. In addition, it is located at the foot of the Alps, so it could also satisfy climbers who had focused their calendar on competing for the rainbow jersey.
UPDATE
The UCI has now spoken out on these rumours, denying such plans. "The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), in close collaboration with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, is closely monitoring developments in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and their potential impact on the organisation of the UCI Road World Championships scheduled for next September in Kigali, Rwanda," it says in a statement. "The ongoing conflict is confined to the DRC, and 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," the UCI press release concludes. "Moreover, 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."
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