Cycle To Rwanda

Sport For Rwanda

·         Fundraising to Enable Hundreds of Thousands of Children to Take Part in Sport in Rwandan Schools

·         Bury St Edmunds has been chosen to host the Rwandan Olympic and Paralympic teams as they prepare for London 2012 at a Pre-Games Training Camp.

·         The Sport for Rwanda fundraising appeal was launched in 2011 to ensure the legacy of the Pre-Games Training Camp stretches far beyond 2012.

·         Sport For Rwanda aims to raise £80,000 to provide 140 schools in Rwanda with sports equipment, a place to store it and educational materials to help teachers run sports lessons.

·         In 1994, Rwanda was torn apart by a brutal and swift genocide. As a result large numbers of people live in poverty; disease and lack of education remain big issues in Rwanda.

·         Sport and PE are not taught in Rwandan schools so this appeal will give more than 100,000 Rwandan schoolchildren the ability to take part in sport and leave a lasting legacy from London 2012.

·         The Sport For Rwanda fundraising appeal was launched by the St Edmundsbury Olympic Steering Group which is overseeing the legacy from the Pre-Games Training Camp. The group is working with UK-based registered charity Rwanda Aid on this project. This small charity works closely with the Rwandan Government, both at local and national levels.

Cycle To Rwanda

·         In May 2012, four riders will leave Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, the planned pre 2012 Olympic Games Rwandan Olympic Team Training Camp and cycle the full 6,000 miles to the capital of Rwanda, Kigali.

·         This will take them through 12 countries in just 70 days by bike from the UK to Rwanda to raise thousands of pounds in sponsorship to make a difference to youngsters in the country.

·         This is a third of the distance expected of a round-the-world record cyclist with a tight schedule.

·         The team will face challenges of altitude, temperature and terrain with all the possible unforeseen challenges of a mechanical, sustenance and medical nature.

·         The team aims to arrive in time to accompany the Rwandan Olympic team on their journey to Bury St Edmunds.

·         All four riders have a breadth of experience and skills to increase the chances of success.

·         The team is looking for all possible sponsorship and media opportunities both publicly and privately to attain their goal.

·         There has already been huge interest from local media and sponsorship from some organisations is already in place. There has been some indication of interest in creating a documentary about the trek.

**Note – due to some route difficulties, Libya is now an unlikely option. Plan B is a route across Europe through some 19 countries via Turkey. This increases the mileage to 6400 miles. This will still be completed in the same timescale.**