Bonnie Mugabe
Kigali — THE much-anticipated Fifa Coca-Cola
World Cup trophy arrived in the country
last night as it made the 34th stop on its African tour.
The golden silverware accompanied by
Coca-cola and Fifa officials reached Kigali international
airport from Bujumbura, Burundi on a Coca-cola
branded chartered plane at 19.00 hours.
The trophy was received by the Minister of Sports
and Culture Joseph Habineza, Ferwafa Vice President,
Vedaste Kayiranga, Bralirwa Managing Director
Sven Piederiet among others.
On arrival, the trophy was chauffeured right away
to Serena Hotel in the company of
Fifa and Coca-Cola officials.
The trophy which was hidden in a wrapping
could not be easily seen but will only
be displayed for public viewing
at Amahoro stadium today.
The authentic trophy is set to be officially
presented to President Paul Kagame
this afternoon at the national stadium.
Kagame is set to become the first Rwandan
to have his hands on the world's most
coveted sports icon.
Over 20 Heads of State and 70,000 fans have
so far given the Fifa World Cup trophy
a stirring welcome on its tour
of the African continent.
Only Heads of States and former winners
are allowed to handle the solid gold.
The trophy will leave the country on
Thursday to continue its tour to
neighbouring Kampala, Uganda.
The Fifa World Cup Trophy was first
used in 1974. Made of 18 carat gold with
a malachite base, it depicts
two human figures holding up the Earth.
The trophy stands 14.4 inches tall and is
made of 5 kg of 75% solid gold with
a base 5.1 inches in diameter containing
two layers of malachite.
Produced by Bertoni, Milano,
it weighs 6.175 kg in total.
The current holder of the trophy is Italy,
winner of the 2006 World Cup.
Shortly before the 2006 Fifa World Cup,
the trophy was briefly returned to Italy
for restoration before eventually
being awarded to the same country.
Link here
--
J-L K
Sent from Kigali, Rwanda
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