Laurens ten Dam calms the panic of possible Rwanda Worlds cancellation after visiting the country: "I didn’t notice any unrest"
Cycling
Laurens ten Dam took part in the Race Around Rwanda earlier this week, but was unable to reach the finish due to a crash. A disaster? Not entirely because Ten Dam was in Rwanda on a double-mission to also reckon the region as the national coach of Dutch women. The tense situation in near Congo raised awareness of UCI who are now careful about development of the situation in the region with view to the 2025 World Championships.
Did Ten Dam also get a sense of the tensions with neighbouring Congo during his visit to the African country? "I didn’t make it 1,000 km, but I did cycle quite a few kilometres through Rwanda and I didn’t notice any unrest," he told Sporza. "Of course I’m not naive, I know that all sorts of things are happening, but you don’t see any of that in Rwanda itself."
UCI recently informed that it'll closely monitor the situation in Rwanda and Congo, however for the moment, it claims there doesn't seem to be the need of cancelling the first-ever African World Championships. It was reported that the back-up option would be to host the race in Switzerland. "Whether or not to hold the World Championships is a difficult discussion. The people in Rwanda told me that the conflict has been going on for years. It is not up to me to judge that. We are sports people and we focus on sports."
From his own experience, Ten Dam was welcomed with open arms in the African country. "The Race Around Rwanda course goes over many gravel roads, past small villages. Everywhere we passed, people came out onto the streets and cheered us on. It is very busy in the capital Kigali. When you see the images of the Tour of Rwanda, you know what awaits us there. It will be an amazing atmosphere.
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