Despite motions from the European Parliament, UCI President David Lappartient remains firm on his January statements: despite the conflicts at the Congo border, Rwanda will continue its project and the World Championships in Kigali will not be cancelled, to the point that there is no Plan B.

Lappartient's latest statements were made over the weekend in Kigali to Cyclingnews and the Belgian press after attending the prologue of the Tour of Rwanda. "There is no Plan B for the World Championships in September. It's a special event for us, as the UCI is celebrating its 125th anniversary. That's why we decided to come to Africa. This was my dream and my goal. We also have a clear vision within the UCI about what we want to do: that's why the 'World Cycling Center' is working intensively with these federations, with the CAC (African Cycling Federation) and with the various satellite centers we now have. I believe that in the future we can truly have more cyclists coming from these lands. I really see a bright future in Africa."

Meanwhile, at the Rwanda-Congo border, unrest continues: according to recent data from the United Nations, at least 3,000 people have been killed in clashes between M23 militants and the national army of the DRC for control of Goma, which is considered strategically important for the extraction and sale of essential minerals and rare earth.

In addition to the tensions caused by border struggles, cycling federations are concerned about the costs they will have to bear to race in Africa. It had already been reported that both the Dutch and Danish federations will not send their youth teams, and the Belgian federation is also evaluating its options.

"Since we know that traveling in Central Africa is more expensive, we are working with the Rwandan government to increase RwandAir flights and even organize some charter flights," Lappartient continued. "This way, we can have more riders and reduce the final costs for national teams."

Tomorrow there will be a Zoom meeting between the UCI President and national representatives ahead of the World Championships. On the agenda, in addition to charter flights, they will examine costs for logistics, transportation, hotels, vaccinations, health prescriptions, and advances to be paid. For Italy, Roberto Amadio, our national team manager, will be present.

Rwanda and its World Championships are staunchly defended by Lappartient, but it remains to be seen what will happen after March 20th, the day of the IOC President elections. The election of Thomas Bach's successor will take place through the vote of 111 members during the 143rd Congress, which will be held in Greece, near Olympia from March 18th to 21st. Seven candidates are competing for the most important IOC chair: Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan; British Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics; Kirsty Coventry, former swimmer and sports minister of Zimbabwe, the second woman in the running after American Anita DeFrantz in 2001; Swedish Johan Eliasch, head of the world ski and snowboard federation; Spanish Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., current vice president and son of the former president; Japanese Morinari Watanabe, leader of the world gymnastics federation, and finally French David Lappartient, UCI President.

Regarding his candidacy, the current UCI President had clarified some of his projects concerning the African continent, with the cycling World Championships in Rwanda being just the first step towards the Olympic Games.

"If I am elected, I want to reiterate that our autonomy is non-negotiable. I have insisted on the qualities to be IOC President. In 1984, when I was 11 years old, I watched the Los Angeles Olympics in awe. One athlete in particular left a mark on me: Carl Lewis. He won four medals in athletics. Above all, he awakened something in me. A passion, a passion for sports and the Olympics. Today we see the enthusiasm of Africans with the AFCON (African Nations Cup), we see it with this year's World Road Cycling Championships in Rwanda. The idea is that during the presidential mandate - which lasts eight years - we must at least once assign the Olympic Games to Africa, which deserves it."