Rwanda will host a Formula 1 race from “the early 2030s” when the series returns to Africa after about 40 years.
asserted
series → host → years
The African Grand Prix will have a 10-year contract and take place at a track in Bugesera, southeast of the capital Kigali, F1 said on Tuesday.
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F1 → have → Tuesday
The purpose-built track will be ready “early in the next decade.”
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track → build → decade
“This partnership is long overdue,” Rwandan President Paul Kagame said at a launch event in Kigali.
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Kagame → say → Kigali
Ultimately, what we want is for the African Grand Prix to pave the way for other races to be hosted on the continent.”
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races → want → continent
Racing in Africa will fulfil a long-held ambition for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, the only Black driver in F1.
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Racing → race → F1
The 41-year-old British driver has said he has been “fighting in the background” for years to have a race in Africa.
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he → say → Africa
The last time F1 raced in Africa was the South African Grand Prix in 1993.
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F1 → race → 1993
“Today is a landmark moment for Formula 1,” F1 President and chief executive Stefano Domenicali said.
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Domenicali → say → Formula
“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.
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championship → join → 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.”
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we → determine → impact
Rwanda aims for challenging circuit and economic gains
Rwanda becomes the first confirmed new host nation for F1 since Qatar and Saudi Arabia joined the schedule in 2021.
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Qatar → aim → 2021
The Bugesera circuit will be built near an under-construction airport serving Kigali and will “work in harmony with the natural landscape,” using hills and dips in the landscape to challenge drivers.
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circuit → build → drivers
Kagame said Rwanda aims to use the race to develop sports infrastructure and tourism and to diversify revenue.
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Rwanda → say → revenue
“Look, our country will be watched on the global stage.
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country → look → stage
And this comes with investments and creations of jobs, especially for the youth,” Betty Mukamurenzi, a university IT student in Kigali, told The Associated Press.
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Mukamurenzi → come → Press
Businessman James Ruzindana said that “for businesses, it is a challenge for us to up our game in terms of having the right products that can be consumed by those who are visiting.”
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who → say → those
Rwanda deal could bring scrutiny of human rights record
Rwanda has long sought to make a mark in the world of sports but hosting F1 would take that strategy to a new level.
uncertain
hosting → bring → level
It could also bring scrutiny over human rights concerns.
uncertain
It → bring → concerns
Under President Kagame, Rwanda has sponsored major European soccer teams and developed a basketball partnership with the NBA, as well as hosting the world cycling championships.
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Rwanda → sponsor → championships
It’s all aimed at promoting a positive image of a country still often known internationally because of the 1994 genocide.
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It → aim → genocide
Critics have accused Rwanda of “sportswashing” to divert attention from Kagame’s rights record.
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Critics → accuse → record
Rwanda has faced accusations from the United Nations that it has backed rebels in neighboring Congo, and Congolese officials have condemned its soccer sponsorships.
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officials → face → sponsorships
Rwanda set to outpace South Africa
There have been rival projects to bring F1 back to Africa, with plans in recent years regarding three different potential venues in South Africa and one in Morocco.
South Africa Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie issued a statement last week congratulating Rwanda, even before the decision was official, but still insisted his country “will get F1,” too.
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country → outpace → F1
They have worked on it longer than SA and deserve it,” McKenzie wrote on X. “Remember though that one country, Italy, has had two F1s a year, and some react like a continent of 55 countries can only get one.
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continent → work → one
SA will get F1, even before 2030.”
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SA → get → 2030
F1 racing in Africa was linked to apartheid
Many of F1’s previous races in Africa were overshadowed by the policy of apartheid in South Africa.
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Many → link → Africa
F1 and its teams faced increasing criticism through the 1970s and 1980s, culminating in some teams boycotting the 1985 race in South Africa, which was facing various international sanctions and boycott campaigns at the time.
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which → face → time
As South Africa began to dismantle the system of racial segregation and oppression, F1 returned for two more races at the Kyalami circuit in 1992 and 1993, the last of those less than a year before the country’s first democratic elections where millions of Black South Africans were able to vote.
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millions → begin → Africans
F1 also held a Moroccan Grand Prix in 1958, the only time Morocco was part of the world championship.
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Morocco → hold → championship
A project was announced last year to build a track to bring F1 back to the North African nation but there have been few updates since.
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project → announce → nation
The Aporia
