There are currently no plans to relocate the Rwanda World Championships after the outbreak of an armed conflict on the east African country’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UCI has said.
The situation has drastically escalated after the M23 rebel group seized control of the city of Goma, leading the President of the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi, to state that his country will respond to the attack, potentially leading to the wider spread of violence in the region. A report in The Guardian on Monday said that the M23 rebel group is backed by Rwanda, although this is officially denied.
More than 178,000 people have now fled from the local territory, which has been described as a "dire humanitarian situation" by the United Nations.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for the UCI said that it was keeping a close eye on the situation and dismissed speculation that a contingency plan had been put in place for the World Championships to now take place in Switzerland.
"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 and their potential impact on the organisation of the UCI Road World Championships scheduled for next September in Kigali, Rwanda," the statement read.
"The ongoing conflict is confined to the DRC, and Rwanda remains entirely safe for tourism and business," it continued. "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.
"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."
As it stands several nations have withdrawn some squads from competing at the Rwandan Worlds due to a variety of reasons, including the high costs of travelling to compete in Kigali. Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland have announced that they will send reduced squads to the Championships, but none have cited safety concerns as reasoning behind the decision.
Cycling Weekly contacted both British and USA Cycling on Friday to ask for comment on the situation and to ask whether the violence could affect either national governing body’s plans to travel in September.
A report from The Guardian explains that the M23 group briefly took over the city of Goma in 2012, but withdrew after international donors cut aid to Rwanda over its support for the group. Amid longstanding tensions the President of Congo, Félix Tshiseked, previously referred to his Rwandan counterpart in highly critical terms, even stating that he believes Paul Kagame will "end up like Hitler".
