The Belgian Cycling Federation delegation postponed a study tour to the World Championships site in Rwanda for security reasons, as the armed conflict in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo is escalating.
"We have many questions and we are not the only ones," said Nathalie Clauwaert, an official with the Belgian federation. "There were already many doubts about the quality of the accommodation, but now we are concerned about other things. The most important thing is to make sure that the safety of the riders and the support staff is guaranteed."
The nearest border with the Goma region, where the main fighting between rebels and government forces is taking place, is 150 km from the Rwandan capital, Kigali. According to news reports, Rwandan political leaders are being linked to supporting the rebels.
Before the World Championships in September, the Tour of Rwanda will take place from February 23 to March 2, with one stage taking place very close to Goma. Soudal-QuickStep and Lotto plan to participate in the Tour of Rwanda with their junior teams, but team representatives have stated that they are monitoring the developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo very closely.
At the cyclo-cross world championships last weekend, the Belgians met with UCI representatives, who said there was no cause for concern. "The current conflict is taking place in the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda is safe for business travel and tourism throughout. We hope for a peaceful resolution of the situation and the UCI hopes that sport will be a powerful ambassador for peace, friendship and solidarity," the international federation said in a statement.
However, Belgian media reports that the UCI has a backup plan in case the situation in Central Africa worsens.
