Amina Lanaya, the Director General of the UCI Road World Championships, has hailed Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali, for raising the bar so high in organising the global cycling event that future hosts will have to work harder to match its standard. Rwanda won bid to host the 2025 UCI Road World Championship in 2021, three years after former local cycling governing body (FERWACY) president Aimable Bayingana officially submitted the bid to the UCI headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Kigali just became the first African city to ever stage the cycling event of that magnitude. Lanaya described the Kigali event as one of the smoothest championships she has ever organised, given the collaboration between the UCI, the local organising committee, and the Ministry of Sports, September 24. ALSO READ: Kagame slams elitism in global event hosting at UCI Congress “To be really honest with you, it was one of my easiest world championships to organise. From the beginning, everything went smoothly. I had direct conversations with the local organising committee and with the Minister of Sports, who was very helpful. We used to call each other every week to find solutions, and there were always solutions,” said Lanaya. The world’s premier cycling competition has drawn hundreds of elite riders and teams, and has been projected to attract an estimated global audience of over 330 million viewers. ALSO READ: What stood out in UCI time trials in Kigali ? Lanaya admitted that there had been doubts about hosting the first UCI Road World Championships in Africa, with many considering it a risk. However, she stressed that Rwanda’s performance has exceeded expectations. “People thought having the first UCI World Championships in Africa was a risk. But you know what? The benchmark now is so high because Kigali-Rwanda, raised the bar. Even the Western world will have this to beat,” she said. Four days of time trial action have already been completed since the event kicked off on Sunday, September 21, with the most anticipated races, including the road race, set for the final three days. According to Lanaya, the success of the event was not only due to the professionalism of the authorities but also the dedication of volunteers and the hospitality of Rwandans. “Thanks to the country of Rwanda, the city of Kigali, the authorities, the government, and all the volunteers. When I saw people along the roads helping, and here at the convention centre delivering the highest level of the championships, I knew we had reached the maximum.” She insists that Kigali’s success story will remain a reference point for future organisers of the UCI World Championships.
