World Cycling Championships UCI in 2023
Glasgow and all of Scotland are the hosts. Dates: August 3–13
Coverage: 200 hours of live broadcasts are available on the BBC’s digital platforms, including BBC TV and iPlayer.
Biniam Girmay, a legendary Eritrean, is injured and will not compete in the Cycling World Championships in Scotland.
After being the first black African to win a Grand Tour stage last year, the 23-year-old was expecting to make history on Sunday by becoming the first global champion in the history of Africa’s men’s road race.
He was recovering from an accident, though, so his Intermarche Circus Wanty team informed him he would not be able to race.
Girmay remarked, “I’m obviously very disappointed to withdraw.”
While he acknowledged that the occasion had been “a main goal for this season,” the injuries sustained inGirmay placed second in the 2021 World Championships men’s under-23 race. He made his Grand Tour debut at the Giro d’Italia the following year, where he made history by winning stage 10.
Hours after it was reported that Girmay and three of his Eritrean teammates had been denied entry to the UK for the World Championships, news of his withdrawal broke.
The four had their permits to enter the nation refused, according to Global Cycling Network. Merhawi Kudus, one of the riders, retweeted a link to the story, adding “Sad!!” and tagged the race organizers and the UCI, the world regulatory body.
No Eritrean rider has had their visa application denied, according to Misghina Haile, secretary-general of the Eritrean Cycling Federation, who spoke with BBC Tigrinya.
