KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) Rwanda will host a Formula 1 race from the early 2030s when the series returns to Africa after about 40 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. The purpose-built track will be ready early in the next decade.
This partnership is long overdue, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said at a launch event in Kigali. But it is a success and a milestone for the entire continent, especially for the African fans. Ultimately, what we want is for the African Grand Prix to pave the way for other races to be hosted on the continent.
Racing in Africa will fulfil a long-held ambition for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, the only Black driver in F1. The 41-year-old British driver has said he has been fighting in the background for years to have a race in Africa.
The last time F1 raced in Africa was the South African Grand Prix in 1993.
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 1s 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.
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.
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.
Kagame said Rwanda aims to use the race to develop sports infrastructure and tourism and to diversify revenue.
Look, our country will be watched on the global 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.
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.
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.
It could also bring scrutiny over human rights 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.
Its all aimed at promoting a positive image of a country still often known internationally because of the 1994 genocide. Critics have accused Rwanda of sportswashing to divert attention from Kagames rights 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.
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.
We are happy for Rwandas 2030 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. SA will get F1, even before 2030.
There was no mention of South Africa in F1s statement on Tuesday.
F1 racing in Africa was linked to apartheid
Many of F1s previous races in Africa were overshadowed by the policy of apartheid in South 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.
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 countrys first democratic elections where millions of Black South Africans were able to vote.
F1 also held a Moroccan Grand Prix in 1958, the only time Morocco was part of the world 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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Ellingworth reported from Duesseldorf, Germany.
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基加利，卢旺达（美联社）——卢旺达将从“2030年代初”开始举办一级方程式赛车比赛，届时这一赛事在时隔约40年后重返非洲。
F1于周二宣布，非洲大奖赛将签订为期10年的合同，比赛地点设在首都基加利东南部布格塞拉的一条赛道上。这条专为赛事打造的赛道预计将在“下一个十年初期”准备就绪。
卢旺达总统保罗·卡加梅在基加利举行的启动仪式上表示：“这一合作早该实现。但它的成功对整个非洲大陆，尤其是非洲车迷而言，是一个里程碑。归根结底，我们希望非洲大奖赛能够为其他赛事在非洲举办铺平道路。”
在非洲举办比赛将实现七届世界冠军刘易斯·汉密尔顿长久以来的夙愿，他是F1中唯一的黑人车手。这位41岁的英国车手表示，多年来他一直在“幕后努力”，争取在非洲举办一场比赛。
F1上一次在非洲举办赛事，还要追溯到1993年的南非大奖赛。
“今天是F1具有里程碑意义的时刻，”F1总裁兼首席执行官斯特凡诺·多梅尼卡利表示。“随着卢旺达从下一个十年起加入赛程，我们的运动将覆盖所有有人居住的大洲，让世界锦标赛比以往任何时候都更贴近全球车迷。”
非洲始终是一级方程式赛车未来版图的一部分，从一开始，我们就决心以正确的方式、与合适的伙伴携手回归，并秉持长期承诺和清晰的愿景，以创造有意义的影响。
卢旺达旨在打造高难度赛道并实现经济效益
自2021年卡塔尔和沙特阿拉伯加入赛程以来，卢旺达成为首个确认的F1新主办国。
布格塞拉赛道将建在一座服务于基加利、正在建设中的机场附近，并将“与自然景观和谐相融”，利用地形中的起伏与洼地来考验车手。
卡加梅表示，卢旺达旨在借助该赛事发展体育基础设施和旅游业，并实现收入来源多元化。
“看，我们的国家将在全球舞台上受到瞩目。这将带来投资和就业机会的创造，尤其是对年轻人而言。”基加利的一名大学IT学生贝蒂·穆卡穆伦齐告诉美联社。
商人詹姆斯·鲁津达纳表示：“对于企业来说，挑战在于我们必须提升自身水平，提供适合游客消费的产品。”
卢旺达协议或将引发对人权记录的审视
卢旺达长期以来一直力求在世界体育领域占有一席之地，但举办F1赛事将把这一战略提升至全新高度。
这也可能引发对人权问题的审视。
在卡加梅总统的领导下，卢旺达赞助了欧洲多支主要足球队，并与美国职业篮球联赛（NBA）建立了篮球合作关系，同时还主办了世界自行车锦标赛。
这一切都是为了提升一个仍因1994年种族大屠杀而在国际上广为人知的国家的正面形象。批评者指责卢旺达进行“体育洗白”，以转移人们对卡加梅人权记录的关注。
卢旺达曾受到联合国指控，称其支持邻国刚果的叛军，而刚果官员也对其足球赞助行为予以谴责。
卢旺达有望超越南非
近年来，已有多个相互竞争的项目计划将F1赛事带回非洲，其中涉及南非的三个不同潜在举办地以及摩洛哥的一个潜在举办地。
南非体育、艺术与文化部长盖顿·麦肯齐上周发表声明，在官方决定尚未公布之前就向卢旺达表示祝贺，但仍坚称南非“也将获得F1赛事举办权”。
“我们为卢旺达获得2030年F1大奖赛感到高兴。他们为此努力的时间比南非更长，理应得到这个机会，”麦肯齐在X平台上写道。“但请记住，意大利一个国家每年可以举办两场F1赛事，而有些人却表现得好像一个拥有55个国家的大陆只能获得一场。南非终将获得F1举办权，甚至可能在2030年之前。”
F1在周二的声明中并未提及南非。
非洲的F1赛车运动曾与种族隔离制度有所关联。
F1此前在非洲举办的许多赛事，都因南非的种族隔离政策而蒙上了阴影。
在整个20世纪70年代和80年代，F1及其车队面临的批评日益增多，最终导致一些车队抵制了1985年在南非举行的比赛，而当时南非正面临多项国际制裁和抵制运动。
随着南非开始废除种族隔离与压迫制度，F1于1992年和1993年重返凯拉米赛道，又举办了两场比赛。其中最后一场比赛举行时，距离南非首次民主选举尚不足一年，那次选举中数百万黑人南非人得以投票。
F1还曾在1958年举办过摩洛哥大奖赛，那是摩洛哥唯一一次成为世界锦标赛的一部分。去年，一项旨在建设赛道、将F1带回这个北非国家的项目被宣布，但此后鲜有进展。
埃林沃思从德国杜塞尔多夫报道。
