{"id":56493,"date":"2025-12-08T20:36:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T20:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/rwanda-joins-the-world-motorcycling-federation-boosting-its-motorsport\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T17:48:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T17:48:36","slug":"rwanda-joins-the-world-motorcycling-federation-boosting-its-motorsport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-joins-the-world-motorcycling-federation-boosting-its-motorsport\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda joins the World Motorcycling Federation, boosting its motorsport ambitions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The move positions Rwanda as an emerging motorsport hub on the continent, strengthening its capacity to develop new riding disciplines, nurture local talent, and ultimately host international motorcycling events.<\/p>\n<p>During the Assembly, FIM President Jorge Viegas welcomed Rwanda into the global motorcycling community, describing the nation\u2019s admission as an important addition to the federation\u2019s expanding membership.<\/p>\n<p>Christian Gakwanya, President of the Rwanda Motorsport Federation, represented the country at the Assembly and hailed the milestone as a transformative moment for the sector.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are extremely happy for this achievement. Motorcycling has been part of our motorsport activities for years, and with the support and guidance of our government through the Ministry of Sports, we have developed a new roadmap focused on diversification, capacity building, and the ambition to host international events, including major motorcycling competitions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Gakwanya extended gratitude to member federations for their support, adding that Rwanda looks forward to active collaboration within the FIM community.<\/p>\n<p>The achievement builds on Rwanda\u2019s rising global profile in motorsport, coming just one year after the country successfully hosted the FIA General Assembly and Awards in Kigali, a historic event that reinforced international confidence in Rwanda\u2019s organisational capacity and commitment to motorsport development.<\/p>\n<p>Following the admission, beginning January 2026, Rwanda\u2019s national motorsport calendar will expand to include new disciplines such as motocross, enduro, and trials, opening pathways for new riders and elevating local competition standards.<\/p>\n<p>{{Rwanda\u2019s push for Formula 1<br \/>\n}}<\/p>\n<p>Rwanda\u2019s motorsport ambitions extend beyond motorcycling. On December 13, 2024, President Paul Kagame announced that the country is formally bidding to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix, a move that would bring the world\u2019s most prestigious racing series back to Africa for the first time since 1993.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative follows months of discussions between Rwandan officials and Formula 1 leadership, including CEO Stefano Domenicali, with the nation positioning itself as a strong candidate to revive Africa\u2019s presence on the F1 calendar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am happy to formally announce that Rwanda is beginning to bring the thrill of racing back to Africa by hosting the Formula 1 Grand Prix,\u201d President Kagame said during the FIA General Assembly in Kigali. \u201cWe are approaching this opportunity with the seriousness and commitment it deserves. Together, we will build something we can all be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The bid aligns with Rwanda\u2019s broader strategy to attract major global sporting events and strengthen its reputation as a dynamic, forward-looking sporting destination.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98890 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/snapinsta_to_575165905_18386064037197173_6376302131027133274_n.jpg\" alt=\"Rwanda joins the federation as the 125th member.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98887 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/snapinsta_to_590902319_18386064007197173_5312701603415002019_n.jpg\" alt=\"During the Assembly, FIM President Jorge Viegas welcomed Rwanda into the global motorcycling community, describing the nation\u2019s admission as an important addition to the federation\u2019s expanding membership.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98888 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/snapinsta_to_591126280_18386064034197173_888596746323606347_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98889 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/snapinsta_to_590813362_18386064010197173_2184647746660464007_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98885 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/snapinsta_to_590965626_18386064046197173_5793340615457296187_n.jpg\" alt=\"The move positions Rwanda as an emerging motorsport hub on the continent, strengthening its capacity to develop new riding disciplines, nurture local talent, and ultimately host international motorcycling events.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98891 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/4stjtxefpvor5rjcc24qhhnxxe.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rwanda has been admitted as the 125th member of the World Motorcycling Federation (FIM), marking a major step in the country&#8217;s fast-rising motorsport ambitions. The decision was approved during the FIM General Assembly held on December 5 in Lausanne, Switzerland, signalling growing global confidence in Rwanda\u2019s long-term vision for the sport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000098882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","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":2000098882,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-05-34-pm-830.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-05-34-pm-830.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-05-34-pm-830.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-05-34-pm-830.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-05-34-pm-830.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-dec-2025-05-34-pm-830.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56493","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=56493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000098882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56493"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=56493"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=56493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}