A Research On The Socio-Economic Impacts Of Kigali International Peace Marathon On Rwanda

The Kigali international peace marathon is one of the marathon events in Africa and theGreat Lakes Region.It was first held in 2004 and has been held ever since until the 15^th of 2019.Since the first edition,Kigali international peace marathon has improved year by year.At the beginning of this marathon,there were three race groups,including the 3.5km fun run,half marathon and full marathon.Currently,KIPM has the full marathon,half marathon and 10 km run for fun or run for peace and it is the most important sporting event of the sports calendar in Rwanda.From the first to the 15^th edition,Kigali International Peace Marathon has changed a lot.Not only has the number of runners increased,but also the number of other participants and sponsors also increased considerably.The specific objectives of this research were to analyze the development change rules of Kigali international peace marathon and assess the evolution of the marathon and to understand and describe the socio-economic impacts of Kigali marathon international peace on Rwanda as a country and to local residents of Kigali.In determining the theoretical framework of the study on the socio-economic impacts of the Kigali international peace marathon on Rwanda,books,periodicals,magazines and research results from different sources were used to study the socio-economic impact of the marathons and related events on the host cities or regions and provided a theoretical basis for this research.In order to obtain reliable data and results,quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in this study.The reliability of the results and conclusions of this study comes from the consistency of questionnaire participants,the analysis of multi-source data,the interpretation of others and the prediction based on relevant theoretical models.Four research methods were used in this study,including literature review,questionnaire survey,and observation and case analysis.The results show that,in terms of social impacts,this annual sports event provides local residents of Kigali with the opportunity to obtain temporary jobs and volunteering services,thus contributing to a quality lifestyle for local residents.Kigali international peace marathon provides local residents with an atmosphere of recreation and recreation through participation in sports activities.It promotes healthy social behavior and sports culture as well as peaceful community ideas and solidarity.In terms of economic impact,Kigali international peace marathon attracted many runners from all over the world to participate in the race and influenced the increase in local demand during the marathon.This has brought economic benefits to Rwanda's tourism industry and to the local business owners as well as to the country in general.According to the questionnaire data collected on the day of the 15th edition of Kigali international peace marathon,15.56%of the participants were non-residents of Kigali City from different provinces in Rwanda and 40%were international participants.Visitors'spending in Kigali on the day of the race or before and after Kigali international peace marathon increases the income of the local people and has a beneficial impact on the local residents?economy.The Kigali international peace marathon has made great contributions to the development of national sports and to the residents'sports culture.The number of marathons help as the pre-event of Kigali international peace marathon has increased,as has the number of athletic sport clubs.This annual sporting event motivates the community to play sports,thus enhancing the sports culture which contributes the construction of a healthy society.The study found that Kigali international peace marathon has grown in size and the participation has increased but needs to continue to grow its scale,especially as the number of participants in the last edition has decreased compared to the previous editions.