{"id":55776,"date":"2025-09-28T10:15:43","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T10:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/president-kagame-lauds-uci-s-trust-in-rwanda-at-2025-gala-dinner\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T14:31:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T14:31:04","slug":"president-kagame-lauds-uci-s-trust-in-rwanda-at-2025-gala-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/president-kagame-lauds-uci-s-trust-in-rwanda-at-2025-gala-dinner\/","title":{"rendered":"President Kagame lauds UCI\u2019s trust in Rwanda at 2025 gala dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Speaking at the gala dinner in Kigali, Kagame thanked UCI President David Lappartient, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, and cycling fans worldwide for supporting the championship. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday, we stand here because the leadership at UCI put their trust in our country and our people to provide you with the best possible experience,\u201d Kagame said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cRwanda is proud to be contributing to such an important moment in cycling history, and we are happy to be sharing it with you all as one team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The President described the week-long championships as a source of inspiration for Africa\u2019s youth. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe chants, the crowds, and the smiles are a true testament to the unifying power of sports,\u201d he said. \u201cFor our young and talented people, this is an inspiration for them to follow their own dreams with a spirit of sacrifice and endurance, like true champions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kagame stressed that investing in sports on the continent goes hand in hand with creating opportunities for the next generation. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt all comes down to giving everyone a fair chance, not out of sympathy, but because everyone has something good to give back and because the sport is stronger for it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>UCI President David Lappartient, in his remarks, hailed Rwanda\u2019s successful staging of the first Road World Championships ever held in Africa. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis week in Kigali has not just met our expectations. It has, of course, done more than that. It has taken our breath away,\u201d Lappartient said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe cycling family has fallen in love with your country, Your Excellency \u2014 in love with its countryside, in love with its people, in love with its beauty, in love with its vitality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lappartient highlighted the historic nature of Kigali 2025, which included dedicated women\u2019s under-23 races for the first time and the crowning of 12 world champions so far. <\/p>\n<p>He presented Kagame with a framed rainbow jersey and the prestigious UCI Order, the federation\u2019s highest distinction, in recognition of his role in advancing cycling and supporting the championships.<\/p>\n<p>Both leaders paid tribute to organisers, the Rwandan Cycling Federation, and the volunteers who ensured the success of the event. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are always ready with a big smile and assistance,\u201d Lappartient noted, to applause.<\/p>\n<p>The 2025 UCI Road World Championships conclude on Sunday with the men\u2019s elite road race, a highly anticipated finale that will feature some of the sport\u2019s top riders after an unforgettable week in Kigali.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95296 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/dsc01556-2188c_1_.jpg\" alt=\"The President described the week-long championships as a source of inspiration for Africa\u2019s youth. \" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95297 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/dsc01541-6d474.jpg\" alt=\"The President described the week-long championships as a source of inspiration for Africa\u2019s youth. \" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95298 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/mixcollage-28-sep-2025-09-48-am-6356.jpg\" alt=\"UCI President David Lappartient, in his remarks, hailed Rwanda\u2019s successful staging of the first Road World Championships ever held in Africa. \" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95304 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/g13-zs4xsaahleo-3.jpg\" alt=\"President Paul Kagame thanked UCI President David Lappartient, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, and cycling fans worldwide for supporting the championship. \" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95303 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/g13-1_lxmaa7wqa-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95305 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/g14eadhwaaa0gpo-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95306 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/g14ermvwkaeptyk-3.jpg\" alt=\"UCI president presented Kagame with a framed rainbow jersey and the prestigious UCI Order, the federation\u2019s highest distinction, in recognition of his role in advancing cycling and supporting the championships.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95302 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/g13-4awxcaaabuz-3.jpg\" alt=\"The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) capped a historic week in Kigali with a gala dinner on Saturday evening.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95301 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/dsc01446-de806-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Paul Kagame on Saturday praised the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for entrusting Rwanda with the 2025 Road World Championships, saying the historic event has showcased both the power of sport and Africa\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000095295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-55776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000095295,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/dsc01556-2188c_1_logo.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/dsc01556-2188c_1_logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/dsc01556-2188c_1_logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/dsc01556-2188c_1_logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/dsc01556-2188c_1_logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/dsc01556-2188c_1_logo.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000095295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55776"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=55776"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=55776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}