Category: Sports

In parallel to the football competition, forums aimed at contributing to sustainable development will also take place. All these events are scheduled between 10th and 20th May 2024.

From 12th to 14th October 2022, football veterans were in Kigali for ‘LEGENDS IN RWANDA NATIONAL KICKOFF”. The latter is a promotional tour that seeks to promote the 2024 Veteran Clubs World Championship to attract global participation.

Legends who met in Kigali were Rwandan Jimmy Gatete; Cameroonians Roger Milla and Patrick Mboma; Senegalese Khalilou Fadiga; Ghanaian Anthony Baffoe as well as French nationals Lilian Thuram and Laura Georges.

The promotional tour was later taken to Doha, Qatar during the 2022 World Cup.

VCWC’s Spokesperson, Regis Isheja has told IGIHE that preparations are well underway, one year ahead of the tournament

“Teams’ captains will be announced this week,” he said.

This coming May, football veterans will tour 12 cities different cities across the world to bring the tournament to limelight.

“We will be going through Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas.”

Throughout this tour, legends and the organising committee will be engaging with the media, investors, development organisations and public institutions worldwide to make sure no one misses this international rendez-vous.

“Captains representing eight teams to participate in VCWC 2024 will be announced on Friday 17th March 2023,” Isheja added.

Eight regions of the world will have a captain and each team will be made up of 15 male legends and 2 female Legends.

VCWC is the largest sporting event ever bringing together veterans. The tournament will bring together 150 football legends facing off in 20 games.

The country also expects to benefit from the tournament through forums and numerous partner events that will bring in over 5000 international visitors.

Eritrean Henok Mulueberhane has again claimed the yellow jersey while Rwandan Eric Muhoza is eight seconds behind him.

Tarozzi who made a break away as riders rode along Ruliba road won the race clocking 2 hous 58 minutes and 53 seconds.

He arrived at the finishing line 32 seconds before Mark Stewart of Bolton Equities and Unai Iribar of Euskaltel Euskadi.

Jean Bosco Nsengimana was part of riders who led the race but was later left behind and finished the race 1 minute and 12 seconds behind the winner.

Félicien Hakizimana, a Rwandan riding for May Stars finished the race in the19th place and arrived at the finishing line 2 minutes and 2 seconds behind the stage winner.

Meanwhile, Muhoza Eric emerged the 21st and was 2 minutes and 4 seconds behind.

Lecerf William Junior who took the yellow jersey yesterday in the third place on the general classification with one second behind. He is followed by Victor de la Parte (TotalEnergies).

Eric Muhoza is the top performing Rwandan where he took the sixth place on the general classification.

The last stage of Tour du Rwanda 2023 will see riders, making laps in Kigali covering 75.3 kilometers.

Lecerf William Junior riding for Soudal Quick Step has taken the yellow jersey.

It was the toughest race compared to previous stages due to a large number of bends and surfaces slopping upwards.

Callum Ormiston who made a break away from the peloton in 25 kilometers continued to lead the race until he crossed the finishing line before Rubavu Market.

He was followed by Italian Walter Calzoni riding for Q36 who arrived six seconds behind along with others including Eyob Metkel (3), Lecerf Junior (4) and Eric Muhoza who arrived in the 11th place.

Eritrean Henok Mulueberhane concluded the race in the 16th place and was 19 seconds behind the stage winner.

Belgian Lecerf William Junior riding Soudal Quick Step took the yellow jersey after clocking 19 hours 40 minutes and 50 seconds. He is 2 seconds before Budiak Anatolii riding for Terengganu Polygon.

Rwandan Eric Muhoza riding for Bike Aid has taken the 7th place on the general classification and is 11 seconds behind the yellow jersey holder.

Callum Ormiston who won today’s stage took the 19th place on the general classification. He is 21 seconds behind the yellow jersey.

Tour du Rwanda 2023 will continue on Friday with the sixth stage where riders will follow a track from Rubavu to Gicumbi District covering 157 kilometers.

Bonnet was the first to cross the finishing line clocking 3 hours 19 minutes and 23 seconds.

The French cyclist who joined the leading peloton in the last 20 kilometers was the first to arrive at the finishing line. Stewart Markand Bolton Equities was the second to arrive 3 seconds behind the stage winner.

Ethan Vernon who won the first two stages has arrived in the fourth place 7 seconds behind the winner.

Following his win, Bonnet,24, took the yellow jersey from Henok Mulueberhane who had unseated Vernon after stage 3.

Henok took the fifth place as today’s stage came to close with 31 seconds behind the winner.

Bonnet has so far clocked 14 hours 40 minutes and 33 seconds while Henok is 20 seconds behind him.

Eric Muhoza riding for Bike Aid from Germany has emerged the top performing Rwandan and took the 13th place registering 31 seconds behind the stage winner.

Among others; four-time winner of Tour de France, British national Chris Froome riding for Israel-Premier Tech emerged 33rd.

Muhoza has maintained the 11th place on the general classification with 31 seconds behind the yellow jersey holder.

Tour du Rwanda 2023 will continue with the fifth stage on Thursday where riders will race along 195.5 kilometers from Rusizi to Rubavu.

Mulueberhane has taken the yellow jersey from British national, Briton Ethan Vernon who claimed the first two stages.

Meanwhile, Eric Muhoza emerged the best Rwandan as he crossed the finishing line in 14th place, in a group of riders who finished 11 seconds behind today’s stage winner.

The race will continue with the fourth stage on Wednesday 22nd February where cyclists will race for 138.3km from Musanze to Karongi District.

Chris Froome, his teammates and representatives from the management of Israel Premier-Tech arrived at Kigali International Airport around 2:52 a.m on Thursday 16th February 2023.

Froome 37, is among legendary cyclists as he won seven Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de France (in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017), one Giro d’Italia (2018) and the Vuelta a España twice (2011 and 2017). He has also won several other stage races, and the Vélo d’Or three times.

Upon arrival, Froome expressed delight to be in Rwanda for the first time.

“It is my first time here. I grew up not too far away, in Kenya. I am happy to be here and looking forward to the race this week,” he noted.

“I don’t really know what to expect in the race, I have never raced here before. I am expecting a fast and furious week racing. […] I am sure there is a lot of strong local talents and I am looking forward to getting to know some of those guys,” added Froome.

At least 100 riders from 20 teams are expected to participate in the race scheduled between 19th and 26th February 2023.

Froome confirmed his participation in Tour du Rwanda on 15th January 2023.

He will be riding for Israel Premier-Tech which is participating in Tour du Rwanda for the eighth time.

Froome was expected to participate in Tour du Rwanda 2022 but got a knee injury during preparations.

In 2019, he sustained serious injuries in a freak high-speed accident. At the time, the cyclist broke a leg, ribs and an elbow after colliding with a wall outside the town of Roanne in the Loire in France.

After leaving Team Ineos, Froome raced in Tour de France mu 2021 where he finished in 133rd place.

Israel Premier-Tech team landed in Kigali three days ahead of Tour du Rwanda 2023.

It has joined other teams that have already arrived in Rwanda to participate in the eight-day race.

These include TotalEnergies from France, Terengganu Polygon from Malaysie, Bike Aid from Germany, Soudal Quick-Step from Belgium and Bolton Equities Black Spoke from New Zealand which arrived in the morning of Wednesday 15th February 2023 as well as Tartu 2024 from Estonia which landed in Rwanda on 10th February to make enough preparations in Musanze.

The Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo confirmed that the man dubbed the King of Football died at 3.27pm local time “due to the failure of multiple organs, a result of the progression of colon cancer associated with his previous clinical condition.”

News of Pele’s passing was also confirmed in a message on his official Instagram account.

“Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today,” it read. “On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love. His message today becomes a legacy for future generations. Love, love and love, forever.”

Pele, whose given name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, had been hospitalized since late November for treatment of a respiratory infection and other cancer-related complications.

On December 21, his eldest daughter, Kely Cristina Nascimento, announced her father would spend Christmas in hospital because he required “more extensive care”.

Widely considered the greatest footballer of all time, Pele is the only player to win the World Cup three times, having lifted the sport’s most prestigious trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

His celebrated career included 732 goals in 792 games for club and country. His Brazil record of 77 international goals was equalled by Neymar in the South American team’s World Cup quarterfinal defeat to Croatia in early December.

In 2000, world football governing body FIFA declared Pele and Argentina’s Diego Maradona as joint winners of its award for the greatest player of the 20th century. He was also recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most important people of the last century.

Pele faced a series of health issues over the past decade, including problems related to his spine, hip, knee and kidneys. Last year, the former Santos and New York Cosmos star underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his colon.

Among those to pay tribute on Thursday afternoon was France forward Kylian Mbappe.

“The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten,” he wrote on Twitter. “RIP KING.”

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) described Pele as “the greatest idol of world football” and said the entity would observe seven days of official mourning.

“The idol’s death is the saddest news reported by the CBF since its founding 108 years ago,” it said in a statement.

CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues added: “I am deeply saddened by Pele’s departure. The CBF will pay all possible tributes to the greatest athlete of all time. Pele is eternal and we will always work to preserve his history and perpetuate his legacy.”

Neymar, currently Brazil’s best player and the team’s No. 10, dedicated a heartfelt message on social media alongside a photo of Pele wearing a crown.

“He turned football into art, into entertainment,” the forward wrote. “He gave a voice to the poor, to black people and, above all, he gave visibility to Brazil. Football and Brazil have raised their ‘status’ thanks to the King!.

“Before Pele, ’10’ was just a number. I read that phrase somewhere, at some point in my life. But that beautiful sentence is incomplete. I would say that before Pele, football was just a sport. Pele changed everything.”

Neymar’s Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Lionel Messi, also took to social media with a brief message alongside a series of images, including a photo in which he is embracing the Brazilian great.

“Rest in peace, Pele,” Messi wrote.