A sponsor of Atlético de Madrid joins the peloton in 2026

Visit Rwanda, an entity dedicated to boosting tourism in the African country that hosted the last World Cycling Championship, is making the leap from football to cycling. According to reports from Gazzetta dello Sport, it will be the new main sponsor of the now registered Cycling Academy in 2026, after removing Israel from its name and the announcement of Premier Tech's discontinuation as a sponsor.

Total renewal in Israel-Premier Tech trying to erase any relationship with the Hebrew country

The announcement just a few days ago by Premier Tech regarding the end of its sponsorship of the Israel team left the squad, despite the announcement of a change of nationality, in a very delicate situation for the upcoming year, especially having to meet the economic obligations set by the World Tour category in which it has regained the spot lost three years ago.

Problems did not stop there for Sylvain Adams' team, as just a few days later, the bicycle brand Factor decided to stop supporting the team. However, the uncertainty for Israel-Premier Tech, well, for Cycling Academy, which is how the squad is currently registered with the UCI, has not lasted long while waiting for the final confirmation of its place in the World Tour.

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Today, Ciro Scognamiglio on his X account, a renowned journalist from Gazzetta dello Sport who never makes a move without reason, confirms, although the news has not yet been officially announced, that the new main sponsor of the team will be Visit Rwanda, the tourism service of the African country, which has already been making a strong investment in the world of football by displaying its brand on the jerseys of teams like Arsenal and Atletico de Madrid. Additionally, there were also rumors that a Swiss bank would be a co-sponsor of the squad and that the team would be registered in that country.

Similarly, although not officially confirmed, it is a well-known secret that there will be a change in the bicycle supply following Factor's withdrawal. Scott will fill that gap, as they were left without a team at the highest level after the agreement between Pinarello and Q36.5.

A bit of light for a team that seeks to clean its public image to avoid the protests it has been suffering over the last year due to the Israeli invasion of Gaza, which reached its peak during the last edition of La Vuelta a España, where the competition was affected by the cancellation of finals and the suspension of the last stage due to protests targeting the Israeli squad.

In the sporting realm, another rumor comes from the same source as the new sponsor. Ciro Scognamiglio claims that Biniam Girmay is close to signing with the renewed Cycling Academy as he is not included in the new structure that emerged from the merger between Lotto and Intermarché after a couple of seasons in which the Eritrean has not confirmed the performance that was expected of him.