EngRegional
Hosting FIFA Congress signals Rwanda's intent
Kigali,
the capital city of Rwanda hosted the 73rd Congress of the
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), on March 16, bringing
together around 2,000 delegates from hundreds of football associations worldwide
and the federation’s sponsors.
The
east African nation is the fourth country on the continent to host the FIFA
Congress, after Morocco in 2005, South Africa in 2010, and Mauritius in 2013.
The
Congress is of massive importance for football across the globe, considering
its focus on a number of challenges facing football including governance,
ethics, and the development of the sport. It is during the Congress that
incumbent FIFA boss, Gianni
Infantino, will be again elected for a third term.
Rwanda
as host country has its share of benefits from the Congress fitting in its
aspirations of becoming an African sports hub. The country targets to raise
$800 million in sports tourism by 2024.
Though
the FIFA Congress is perhaps the biggest sports congress that the country has
hosted, it came after other worthy events that have taken place in Rwanda in
previous years. These include the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN), the
FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tours for both men and women in July 2021,
Afrobasket 2021, and the Basketball Africa League (BAL) in 2021 and 2022.
After
President Paul Kagame was given the CAF President’s Outstanding Achievement
Award 2022 on March 14, he reiterated that football has a special place in
Rwandan history, given the role it has played reuniting Rwandans and bringing
them together again after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
“Months
before the tragedy happened here in 1994, there was a lot of fighting, there
was a history of sectarianism and so forth. One of the things that always comes
at the top that people clang to, that kept bringing us together was sports and
particularly football,” Kagame said.
“When
we took over after that situation, I want to say that one of the things that we
invested in was football. There were so many needs, so many priorities which we
wouldn’t imagine to involve football, but we made sure that, through the
Ministry of Sports, we enable our young people among other priorities to play
football.”
Rwanda
has ambitions of further promoting its tourism industry as it is evolving as a
destination for global competition.
And
looking at the big names that descended on Kigali – from Brazilian legend Cafu
to the world’s best ref Pierluigi Collina – Rwanda is networking right.
Events
like this Congress promote the country’s endeavors to attract Meetings,
Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE), a key development strategy by
the government.
The country
has developed sports infrastructure worth millions of dollars. It is currently renovating
the 25,000-capacity Amahoro National Stadium to add 20,000 more seats in a
project billed at around $165 million and expected to be completed before end
2024.
The
20,000-capacity Huye Stadium was fully renovated in 2022 to meet international
standards, costing Rwf10 billion. Kigali Stadium, now named Kigali Pelé Stadium,
is also under renovation to meet the same standards.
In
2021, an 18-hole golf course costing $16 million opened in Kigali after a
$1.3-million cricket stadium on the outskirts of Kigali was unveiled in 2017.
The BK Arena, a 10,000-seater arena which hosts basketball, volley ball and
entertainment events was inaugurated in 2019, costing $104 million.
While
Rwandans celebrate the infrastructure and enjoy sports, the investment in
sports also contributes to promoting the country’s hospitality for the local
hotels and other businesses.
The
people who gather in Kigali need accommodation, food, recreational activities,
and transport. This means that Rwandans benefit more from those international
competitions that are held in Kigali.
Rwanda
will also host the 2025 World Road Cycling Championships, the first time it
will be held in Africa.
