Rwanda’s foreign minister has dismissed reports that the government barred Belgian journalist Stijn Vercruysse from covering the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, saying the broadcaster he works for attempted to obtain accreditation through fraudulent means.
Vercruysse, a political reporter for VRT, a Flemish-language Belgian broadcaster, was denied accreditation to attend the cycling championships, which are being hosted in Africa for the first time. Some European media outlets and Vercruysse himself alleged that Rwanda was behind the decision.
But Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe said accreditation for the championships is handled solely by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), not the Rwandan government.
“Sports journalists from around the world registered with the UCI to cover this historic championship,” Nduhungirehe said on X, formerly Twitter. “Yet VRT tried to bypass the rules by registering a political journalist known for constantly denigrating Rwanda.”
Nduhungirehe said VRT sought accreditation for Vercruysse through the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), despite him not being registered as a sports journalist in Belgium — a requirement for covering major sporting events.
He added that Vercruysse revealed his true intentions after being stopped from boarding an SN Brussels flight, telling Belgian media that he had planned to produce a story critical of Rwanda, which he described as “ruled by an authoritarian regime.”
“What do such words have to do with a global cycling competition?” Nduhungirehe asked.
The minister also noted that in Europe and elsewhere, journalists must carry an international sports press card issued by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) in order to access such events. Attempting to circumvent those rules, he said, is comparable to fraud.
“In the United States, if you try this, you are arrested, deported, and banned from returning for at least five years,” he said.
The 2025 Road World Championships, which began Sunday in Kigali, have drawn 920 riders from 101 countries and more than 700 accredited journalists. The event runs through Sept. 28, marking the first time the competition has been staged on African soil.
