{"id":122058,"date":"2025-09-25T12:04:44","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T12:04:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/09\/25\/kagame-urges-sports-bodies-to-end-outdated-bias-against-african-hosts\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T12:04:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T12:04:44","slug":"kagame-urges-sports-bodies-to-end-outdated-bias-against-african-hosts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/kagame-urges-sports-bodies-to-end-outdated-bias-against-african-hosts\/","title":{"rendered":"Kagame urges sports bodies to end \u2018outdated\u2019 bias against African hosts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>KIGALI, Rwanda, Sept 25 \u2013 President Paul Kagame has urged the global sporting community to embrace fairness and inclusivity, criticizing what he described as outdated skepticism toward non-traditional hosts of major international competitions.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Speaking on Thursday at the opening of the 194th UCI Congress\u2014held alongside the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali\u2014Kagame said doubting the ability of nations outside traditional sporting powerhouses to stage global events is both unjust and detrimental to the growth of sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo often, when Africa or another non-traditional host is chosen for a global event, the reaction is skeptical and frequently dismissive,\u201d Kagame said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are those who believe that hosting events of this magnitude should be a monopoly reserved for a few.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He emphasized that fairness\u2014the \u201cmain rule of any sport\u201d\u2014should also guide event organizers in awarding hosting rights. Kagame commended the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for breaking ground by staging its flagship event in Africa for the first time in the organization\u2019s 125-year history.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strong talent development <\/h2>\n<p>Rwanda is hosting 108 nations at the championships, including a record 36 African countries, marking unprecedented continental participation.<\/p>\n<p>Kagame also highlighted Rwanda\u2019s investments in cycling, citing the establishment of three UCI satellite training centers earlier this year\u2014making it only the second African nation to host such facilities. <\/p>\n<p>He said these, along with premier races and youth programs, have created a strong foundation for talent development and economic opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe future of Africa and the future of cycling are deeply intertwined. From producing elite riders to building industries in manufacturing, tourism, and event management, the potential is immense,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<p>UCI President David Lappartient praised Rwanda for making history as the first African host of the Road World Championships, applauding the passion of local fans and the country\u2019s organizational efforts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat an incredible occasion\u2014the crowds, the smiles, the enthusiasm. This week in Kigali is unique for all of us, and the memories will stay with us forever,\u201d Lappartient said, thanking Kagame and Rwanda on behalf of UCI\u2019s 132 national federations.<\/p>\n<p>The Kigali event marks a milestone for African cycling, signaling both the continent\u2019s rising profile in global sport and a call for greater inclusivity in the international sporting calendar.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KIGALI, Rwanda, Sept 25 \u2013 President Paul Kagame has urged the global sporting community to embrace fairness and inclusivity, criticizing what he described as outdated skepticism toward non-traditional hosts of major international competitions. Speaking on Thursday at the opening of the 194th UCI Congress\u2014held alongside the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali\u2014Kagame said doubting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122058\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}