by VALERIO BARRETTA
Rwanda wants F1
“Rwanda is serious“. With these words the president of Formula 1 Stefano Sundays has launched Rwanda’s candidacy to host a World Championship race in the near future: an announcement that has gone around the world, and not only because the Circus has not been to Africa since 1993 (Kyalami GP), but because in the meantime several historic circuits are fighting for the renewal of their contracts, and in this regard no noteworthy signal has arrived on the intentions of the organizers.
Gakwaya’s words
Organizers who have however presented a “good plan” – Domenicali’s words – and will meet with the Circus leaders at the end of September. Christian Gakwaya, president of the Automobile Club of Rwanda, will be there: “It’s time for Africa to be part of the F1 calendar. We are ready to host a World Cup race“, this is his comment on the candidacy reported by the British of Motorsport Magazine.
“Rwanda represents an ideal opportunity for the return of Formula 1 to Africa. We are serious about submitting our candidacy“, he continued. “Our interest in Formula 1 is in line with the national strategy of using sport as a lever for economic transformation. For motorsport in Rwanda, hosting F1 is a key component of a broader strategy that includes infrastructure development, capacity building and schools, and a push to host more international events and championships“. The program referred to is the Vision 2020launched in 2000 by President Paul Kagami (for the record: he is still the head of state) with the intention of developing the country economically, socially and politically. Rwanda already organizes sporting events and will even host the Cycling World Championships in 2025. With Visit Rwanda has obtained important sponsorships with Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. In addition, the FIA awards ceremony will be held in December in the capital Kigali, with which the titles of all the categories affiliated to it will be assigned: presumably, the circuit to be built is here, and if so, it would be at altitude (the capital is 1,500 meters above sea level).
Rwanda’s candidacy comes 30 years after genocide against the Tutsi tribe at the hands of Hutu militias: a tragedy whose victims are estimated between 800 thousand and one million people. President Kagame enjoys strong popularity and has taken credit for having lifted the country from the horrors of the civil war: under his leadership, as reported by the publication Africa Magazinethe country grew by 7.2% on average between 2012 and 2022 and has evolved in infrastructure, schools and health. Kagame’s management of power, however, is criticized for his interference in the Democratic Republic of Congo (where he is supporting the M23 rebels) and for his repression of dissident voices in the country: in the last elections he won with 99.18% of votes.
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