Rwanda brings Formula 1 back to Africa
KIGALI – After nearly 40 years of false starts, motor racing’s premier sport is returning to Africa, after Formula 1 announced on Tuesday that Rwanda would soon host a Grand Prix.
The race will be know as the African Grand Prix after a 10-year contract was signed between the parties. With no suitable track ready, Rwanda will build one in Bugesera, southeast of the capital Kigali. F1 said it will be ready “early in the next decade.”
The last time F1 raced in Africa was the South African Grand Prix in 1993. While there has since been plenty of talk of the sport returning to the continent, most often South Africa itself, nothing concrete had happened, until now.
A race in every continent
“Today is a landmark moment for Formula 1,” F1 President and chief executive Stefano Domenicali said. “With Rwanda joining the calendar from the next decade our sport will race in every inhabited continent, bringing the world championship closer than ever to fans around the globe.
“Africa has always been part of Formula 1’s future, and from the beginning we were determined to return in the right way, with the right partner, a long-term commitment and a clear vision for creating meaningful impact.”
One of the most vocal proponents of a race in Africa has been seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The 41-year-old Black British driver, currently with Ferrari, has said he has been “fighting in the background” for years to have a race in Africa. With the date not yet set in stone for the African Grand Prix, it remains to be seen whether he can prolong his career enough to be on the grid when the lights go out in Rwanda.Video Player is loading.
Kagame all in on sports but sports washing claims loom
For Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the event is “a success and a milestone for the entire continent, especially for the African fans.” He added that he hoped it could lead to more F1 events in Africa.
Kagame has been president of Rwanda for 25 years and essentially ran the country for the six years before that after the genocide in 1994. He routinely wins over 99% of the vote in elections in a country often criticized for its human rights record.
The 68-year-old has bet big on sports. Rwanda has had sponsorship deals with a number of top European football clubs, including Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. However, fan and media backlash over the deal caused Bayern to drop the commercial element with the country’s tourist arm, Visit Rwanda, last year. Arsenal did not renew its deal. Many critics have labeled the policy as sportswashing.
The country also has deals with top US basketball and American Football teams, and hosted cycling’s Road World Championships last year.
But Formula 1, one of the world’s richest sports, will likely be seen as Kagame and Rwanda’s biggest sporting coup to date.
