International Case Study: How the Congo River Marathon Promotes Sports Tourism

SportsTravel Podcast

If you’re familiar with the sports history of the city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it may be as the site of the famed “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. But in recent years, another effort is aiming to attract visitors to the African nation and build a lifelong culture of sport through running. Since they launched the Congo River Marathon, Rolly Kayumba and Nancy Bachmann have been slowly adding to the event’s footprint, and using the opportunity to run along the Congo River and in the city of Kinshasa as a way to develop runners domestically and visitors internationally. Like all new events, it has had its challenges and opportunities, many of which are not unique to those faced by organizers around the world. But this year’s race, which is scheduled for June 2, 2024, may be the biggest effort yet. In this episode, SportsTravel Executive Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz talks with Kayumba and Bachmann about how the race began, how it has grown and how running is being used as a method to promote sports tourism.

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