The World Cycling Union (UCI) is excited at the prospects that lie ahead for African cycling after global sports management company Golazo signed an eight-year deal to market the sport on behalf of the African Cycling Confederation (CAC).
Visiting UCI President, Frenchman David Lappartient said he is confident the deal, signed between Golazo Group CEO Bob Verbeeck and CAC President Mohamed Wahih Azzam at a Nairobi on Tuesday, would be a “game-changer” for African cycling.
The contract runs from 2014 to 2032 and will see Golazo, among other things, help African national federations to organize international championships.
“I’m happy that this agreement was approved by the CAC central management committee,” Lappartient, who was on a two-day tour of Kenya to attend the CAC Congress, said.
“We at UCI believe strong continental championships will mean a stronger UCI. The hosting of international championships in Africa has been a challenge, but you, as Africa, have the best athletes and these should be at the start line of these continental championships.
“We would like to see one million people lining up the streets to watch cycling, and the sport needs to be promoted and be televised live in all African nations,” Lappartient implored.
Veerbeck, whose company organises 120 mass participation cycling competitions globally, attracting over 300,000 riders each year, said Golazo’s agenda would be to focus on project management, logistics support, strategy, safety and security in order to raise the profile of African cycling.
“Besides branding and marketing, mass participation events are important because they involve more people and bring more people into the sport,” the Golazo boss added.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba, who was the chief guest on the second day of the congress, assured that the government would continue to support cycling under the Talanta Hela initiative.
“Talanta Hela is a special purpose vehicle to move sports from being merely recreational to assuring sportspeople of a livelihood, and to also brand our country as a good destination for sports tourism…who knows? The ‘Tour of Kenya’ could be the future Tour de France!,” Namwamba said.
CAC President Azzam said his organization was excited about the Golazo deal. “We are looking at developing cycling in Africa… CAC and Golazo will cooperate to realise our dream,” the Egyptian said.
The two-day CAC Congress concluded with the adoption of financial reports for 2021 and 2022 along with the confederation’s 2023 budget.
The Congress also announced the lifting of the suspension on the Senegalese cycling federation with the Djibouti and Sierra Leone federations also having put their houses in order with the election of new presidents.
