Ethiopia very fanatical cycle-country
‘The cycle-world lives through our knowledge’, says Nout van der Velden, student Sports, Health and Management. In the past nine months he experienced the great expansion of bicycle racing in Ethiopia.
Co-operating
The HAN co-operates with foundation Bike 4 All, in the project Lifting up cycling in Ethiopia. During a three-years-project, Sports Health and Management-students take each others’ turn in analysing what could be improved in the subject of bicycle racing in Ethiopia.
Fantatical audience
‘Confederations get motivated by the co-operation, but also by the competition. I find them both fine, but the most important thing is that they get activated,’ says Nout. When he, after a month of holidays in Holland, came back in Ethiopia, four new clubs were founded. ‘And that’s what we do it for’. When the students arrived in the capital Addis Abeba last year, bicycle racing was not that popular. ‘But when a match is held now, it is literally and figuratively black with people. The sports experience is very different compared to Holland, the audience is extremely fanatical.’
All sorts of people
Trainees have to deal with people from all stratums who are very active in sports. Ministers, managers and cyclists, Nout spoke to all of them. ‘Sometimes it is difficult, because people see you as a contact-person, and bicycle racers try to achieve something via you with the managers. But most of the time I learnt from it, because you can operate at all levels.’
