With the caravan and peloton of the Tour setting off, for the 19th time, for the roads of Faso, it is an immense pleasure for me to address myself to enthusiasts of the "little queen", organisers and sponsors.
The Tour of Faso is a source of legitimate pride for Burkina, for African cycling and all those who have contributed to creating this fine event.
The Burkina economic symposium held in Paris last May demonstrated, if such were necessary, that interest in this competition has certainly not waned. On the contrary, it has extended far beyond the limits of our continent to reach the hearts of Europeans, Asians and, recently, Latin Americans, who have indicated their desire to take part in the competition.
With such growing recognition, it has become a duty for us to preserve what has been built up so far, the excellence of its organisation and a variety of innovative measures, to ensure that enthusiasm for the Tour continues.
To our partner Amaury Sport Organisation, organiser since 2001 of the Tour of Faso alongside the Burkina Cycling Federation, I extend my congratulations and encouragement, as I do to the Burkina government for the expertise and know-how it has demonstrated.
In addition to carrying out its task with brio, the government has been keen to encourage the development of cycling in Burkina and throughout the region as can be seen from Operation 1000 cycles for Faso, organised in collaboration with the French Embassy. This initiative has provided us with some 650 cycles for use in 24 cycling schools.
However, to complete these training and development initiatives carried out on a technical and organisational level, I would like to express the desire to see the Tour become a springboard for social and economic development in our country, a sporting event that benefits the populations in the regions it crosses through and the people of Burkina as a whole.
Accordingly, I invite companies as well as cultural and tourist institutions to contact the Tour of Faso to take advantage of the promotional platform that it offers.
To all our guests and all those that have come to discover our country under the auspices of the Tour of Faso, I extend a warm welcome in the name of the government and people of Burkina.
To our athletes taking part in the competition, I would hope that fair play be the rule within the peloton and that all victories be obtained sportingly. I wish all of you a fine cycling event!
Mori Aldiouma Jean-Pierre PALM
Minister of Sports and Leisure
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