As fans around the world were glued to their TV screens during the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, very few would have given thought to just how the images arrived in their homes.
Everything fans see on their screens - live shots, replays, graphics, commentary and timing – are coordinated in the outside broadcast (OB) van, parked in the vicinity of the finish line, which serves quite literally as the nerve centre of the racing broadcast.
This year, the team inside the truck ensuring an optimal experience for TV spectators included Rwandan Eric Baziga as part of a partnership between the Host Broadcaster Actua Films and the Rwandan Broadcasting Agency (RBA). The partnership was the result of the strong desire of Television Production Director Jean-Maurice Ooghe and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to leave a legacy by giving the Rwandans broadcast experience at the UCI’s biggest annual cycling event.
As part of this legacy programme, Eric Baziga, a Broadcast System Engineer, was one of 55 RBA staff, which also included five camera operators, brought on board at the event that took place from 21 to 28 September.
In return, RBA provided logistical support in the form of equipment for the first UCI Road World Championships to be held on the African continent. This included the OB van and equipment that goes with it, such as cameras, cables, tripods, and the support van. In addition, the camera motorbikes were provided by the local police as part of the UCI’s agreement with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and RBA.
Eric Baziga already had experience working at the Tour du Rwanda, but during the UCI Worlds, he discovered the OB van on a larger scale than he had ever experienced before.
After several days as an observer in the van during the time trials, the Rwandan was in action for the Women and Men Junior road races, gradually gaining confidence amidst the atmosphere of concentration and controlled tension reigning in the van.
“It’s different here at the UCI World Championships than the Tour du Rwanda,” observed Eric Baziga, who was in direct contact with cameramen out on the race course. “There are more cameras, the helicopter, more motorcycles. It's stressful, especially at the finish. There were lots of orders, but everyone is so nice. I'm so happy to work with people who look out for me and encourage me.
“You really need to communicate,” he continues. It’s real teamwork. I’ve learned a lot here and I’m going to pass that on to my colleagues, who work in different sports, not only cycling but also basketball and soccer…”
Eric Baziga has been working in television for 10 years but is still eager to learn more.
“It’s been great to see how they function. There are so many cameras, you can’t afford to miss anything!”
He concludes: “I’m passionate about this sport and will always have a great memory of this event in Kigali.”
UCI Director of Communications, Marketing, Medias and CSR Christophe Marchadier said “The partnership between Actua Films and RBA was fantastic from both a practical and human point of view. The event benefitted from the logistical support and the local knowledge of the Rwandan staff, who in turn were able to add another dimension to their professional experience. The collaboration between staff on both sides was extremely rich, and we all came away with enormous respect for each other’s work and contribution to an event that none of us will ever forget.”
Jean-Maurice Ooghe added: “The feedback we received from both the Rwandans and the host broadcaster was incredibly positive. In the case of Eric Baziga, for example, his contribution to the production of the Men Junior road race was so successful that he was invited back the next day to work on the Women Junior road race. The synergies created within the broadcast team resulted in exceptional coverage of racing throughout the 2025 UCI Road World Championships.”