Day: April 6, 2022

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Drop of a 1:1 NFT Together with the Last Aventador Coupé Ever Produced

Collaboration of Lamborghini with Steve Aoki, Krista Kim, and INVNT GROUP to be offered in an online auction hosted by RM Sotheby’s

Sant’Agata Bolognese, April 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As Automobili Lamborghini moves to electrify its complete line-up in 2023 and 2024, the legendary super sports car Aventador is approaching its end of production. In an unprecedented project, the Italian marque is auctioning the last Lamborghini Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae Coupé ever produced and a one of one NFT, in collaboration with two of the most iconic creators of our time, contemporary artists Krista Kim, Steve Aoki, and global brand storytelling agency [INVNT GROUP]™. The Lamborghini ‘Ultimate’ drop is the world’s first supercar 1:1 NFT, marking the end of a successful era for Lamborghini and moving the raging bull forward into the digital era.

For the first time, Lamborghini is auctioning a super sports car linked to an exclusive NFT, before the top model of the Italian luxury brand becomes a V12-powered plug-in hybrid. The lucky collector will be part of the brand’s iconic legacy and will have access to VIP utilities, which include exclusive virtual previews of future limited edition Lamborghini models, a private tour of the Museo Lamborghini, and a virtual “Meet and Greet” with Steve Aoki and Krista Kim, plus other VIP benefits. There will only be one collector who will own the ultimate 1:1 NFT Lamborghini collectible that can be shared across generations to come.

The drop is the world’s first NFT ever to be auctioned with a physical super sports car. Lamborghini, Krista Kim, and Steve Aoki, all leaders in their own fields, will redefine the supercar and NFT space and bridge the gap between the physical and virtual world. The sale will be hosted in a dedicated online auction by RM Sotheby’s, the world’s foremost collector car auction house.

“Lamborghini and the NFT community fit together very well, as we share many values. We are both young-spirited innovators, looking out for unexpected projects and technological solutions”, explains Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman, and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. “This project is very special for us as it is a true first, a path nobody has ever taken; to collaborate with such outstanding creative minds makes it all the more special.”

Krista Kim is creating the visual artwork for the NFT. It will feature her infamous Mars House & her signature gradient work. Her gradients will also appear in the bespoke customization of the physical Lamborghini Aventador Coupé, made possible through Lamborghini’s Ad Personam program: “This Aventador is a legend, it is the first physical-digital supercar! When higher states of consciousness meet leading-edge technology & design, we see elevated beauty on another level. In my Lamborghini NFT dream, I envision meditating in front of a sublime Mars sunset with Steve, as he transforms the engine sound into a meditative vibe. I couldn’t be more excited to bring this vision to life in the physical car & NFT.”

Steve Aoki will provide the custom developed track for the NFT, an exclusive soundtrack for the physical car inspired by the last Aventador and will consult on the design of the NFT and physical car customization: “I’m honoured to be partnering with Lamborghini & Krista Kim on this historic project! The drop signifies the ultimate intersection – where the physical world, digital art, and music come together as one. Every design element of this car is purposeful. It truly has its own story, and therefore I wanted my music track to reflect its soulful energy – the vibe, the spirit, and the power.”

These three iconic brands, in partnership with [INVNT GROUP] and its portfolio of disciplines, came together to creatively develop the NFT.

“This event will likely be one of the most prolific NFT drops this year and will certainly be one of the most historic automobile auctions ever. Our collaboration with Lamborghini, Steve Aoki, and Krista Kim, is a representation of our boundless innovation to bring brands and artists together. I am beyond proud of our entire global group, notably, our innovation team out of Singapore, INVNT.ATOM, HEVĒ our digital content studio, and our [INVNT GROUP] marcomms team,” said Scott Cullather, President and CEO [INVNT GROUP].

Lamborghini and INVNT GROUP have united three forms of art: design, music and cutting-edge technology to create a never-before-seen collaboration with the talents of artists Krista Kim & Steve Aoki.

The Last Aventador Coupé and 1:1 NFT is a celebration of the automaker’s achievements in technology, design and engineering as they take their iconic legacy into the future.

The NFT & exclusive Lamborghini Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae Coupé will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s on April 19th – 6:00PM CET / 12:00pm EST.

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About Krista Kim

Dubbed as a pioneer in bridging the gap between the real and virtual world. Krista creates immersive digital art through technology as an artistic medium to produce next gen masterpieces for a new world. For more information visit www.kristakimstudio.com

About Steve Aoki

Hailed as NFT royalty in the crypto community and on the global stage, Steve Aoki is a 2x – Grammy nominated music producer, artist, fashion designer, entrepreneur, Guinness World Record holder, NFT visionary and one of the most successful cross-genre artists in the world, with a 77 million average monthly reach across all his platforms he is a leading creator that embodies innovation and exceptional masterpieces. For more information visit www.steveaoki.com

About [INVNT GROUP]

[INVNT GROUP] was established as an evolution of the founding global live brand storytelling agency INVNT. Led by President and CEO, Scott Cullather, [INVNT GROUP], THE GLOBAL BRANDSTORY PROJECTTM represents a portfolio of disciplines designed to help forward-thinking organizations innovate and impact audiences everywhere. The GROUP consists of modern brand strategy firm, Folk Hero; creative-led culture consultancy, Meaning; production studio and creative agency, HEVĒ; events for colleges and universities, INVNT Higher Ed; global digital innovation division, INVNT.ATOM; and the original live brand storytelling agency, INVNT. For more information visit www.invntgroup.com

About RM Sotheby’s:

RM Sotheby’s is the world’s leading collector car auction house. With over 40 years of proven results in the collector car industry, RM’s vertically integrated range of services, from auctions (live and online) and private sales to estate planning and financial services, coupled with an expert team of Car Specialists and an international footprint, provide an unsurpassed level of service to the global collector car market. RM Sotheby’s is currently responsible for the most valuable motor car ever sold at auction. For more information visit https://rmsothebys.com/

Media Information

Photos and videos: media.lamborghini.com
Information on Automobili Lamborghini: www.lamborghini.com


Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. press enquiries please contact:
Tim Bravo
Tim.bravo@lamborghini.com

Jory Wood Syed
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
jory.syed@lamborghini.us

"Lamborghini Ultimate" campaign & press enquiries:
Paola Cracknell
pcracknell@invnt.com

Shendi Katro
skatro@hevestudios.com

For [INVNT GROUP] press enquiries please contact:
Jhonathan Mendez de León
jmendezdeleon@invnt.com
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Visa et PopID forment un partenariat pour lancer les paiements par vérification faciale au Moyen-Orient

  • Des plans de déploiement sont en cours dans les régions MENA et CEE par le biais d’une coentreprise avec le conglomérat d’investissement mondial Dubai Holding

PASADENA, Californie, et DUBAI, Émirats arabes unis, 6 avril 2022 /PRNewswire/ — PopID, un service d’authentification des consommateurs, et Visa (NYSE: V), le leader mondial des paiements numériques, ont annoncé un partenariat pour collaborer au lancement de l’acceptation des paiements par vérification faciale dans la région du Moyen-Orient. L’objectif de ce partenariat est de fournir aux titulaires de carte de nouvelles façons de payer à la fois sûres, sécurisées et innovantes.

PopPay

Les premiers opérateurs à accueillir PopPay (la solution de paiement biométrique faciale de PopID) sur le marché seront Costa Coffee, MMI et la chaîne d’épicerie Géant, en plus de Cove Beach au Caesars Palace Dubai et de Coca-Cola Arena Dubai, qui appartiennent tous deux au portefeuille de Dubai Holding, la société d’investissement mondiale diversifiée basée à Dubaï, aux Émirats arabes unis.

En plus de sélectionner des entreprises physiques de Dubai Holding qui adoptent PopPay comme nouvelle façon d’accepter les paiements, PopID a récemment signé un accord avec Dubai Holding pour établir prochainement une coentreprise qui soutiendra le déploiement de PopPay dans les régions CEE et MENA.

Au cours de la phase initiale du partenariat, Dubai Holding déploiera PopPay sur certains de ses actifs dans ses principales destinations et attractions, qui sera suivie par l’adoption de la technologie de paiement dans l’écosystème plus large de Dubai Holding et par l’intermédiaire de partenaires dans les régions CEE et MENA.

Selon l’Economist Intelligence Unit, 85 % des dirigeants pensent que la biométrie sera utilisée pour authentifier la grande majorité des paiements au cours des dix prochaines années. « Les paiements biométriques faciaux sont à l’avant-garde de l’innovation en matière de paiements, offrant aux titulaires de carte un moyen rapide, transparent et surtout sécurisé de s’authentifier et d’effectuer un paiement », a déclaré Akshay Chopra, responsable de l’innovation et de la conception chez Visa CEMEA. « Dans l’ensemble de notre réseau de partenaires, nous avons constaté un intérêt accru pour la création conjointe de nouvelles opportunités de paiement facial et biométrique. Grâce à ce partenariat avec PopPay, nous souhaitons aider nos clients à déployer des capacités de paiement biométrique plus rapidement et avec plus de succès. »

Dans le cadre de l’alliance avec Visa, les banques émettrices seront invitées à rejoindre la plateforme et à donner à leurs clients la possibilité de lier leurs données biométriques faciales à leurs cartes de débit ou de crédit pour effectuer des paiements ; et les banques acquéreuses se verront offrir la possibilité de distribuer les terminaux de paiement facial exclusifs de PopID aux entreprises physiques. « Nous nous attendons à ce que le paiement facial devienne la norme mondiale pour les paiements, et nous sommes déterminés à faire de PopPay la marque grand public utilisée et plébiscitée par les consommateurs du monde entier », a déclaré John Miller, PDG de PopID.

Tout au long de 2022, la plateforme cherchera à s’étendre davantage dans la région du Moyen-Orient en s’associant à des commerçants clés pour offrir cette technologie de paiement de pointe aux consommateurs. Ce deuxième déploiement international fait suite au lancement de PopPay Japan par le biais d’une coentreprise avec une filiale de SoftBank Corp.

À propos de  PopID

PopID  fournit une plateforme fiable et sécurisée qui permet aux entreprises d’offrir à leurs clients et à leurs employés la possibilité d’authentifier leur identité à l’aide d’une vérification faciale avancée.

À propos de Visa

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) est le leader mondial des paiements numériques. Notre mission est de connecter le monde grâce au réseau de paiement le plus innovant, fiable et sécurisé, permettant aux individus, aux entreprises et aux économies de prospérer. Notre réseau de traitement mondial avancé, VisaNet, permet des paiements fiables et sécurisés partout dans le monde et est capable de traiter plus de 65 000 messages de transaction par seconde. L’attention constante de l’entreprise sur l’innovation est un catalyseur de croissance rapide pour le commerce connecté sur n’importe quel appareil, et une force motrice derrière le rêve d’un avenir sans numéraire pour tous, partout. Alors que le monde passe de l’analogique au numérique, Visa mobilise sa marque, ses produits, ses équipes, son réseau et sa taille pour redéfinir l’avenir du commerce. Pour en savoir plus, consultez À propos de Visa et @VisaNews.

À propos de Dubai Holding

Dubai Holding est une société d’investissement mondiale diversifiée qui exerce ses activités dans plus de 13 pays et emploie plus de 20 000 personnes. Créée en 2004, Dubai Holding touche la vie de millions de résidents et de visiteurs de Dubaï grâce à son vaste portefeuille de plus de 130 milliards AED d’actifs qui soutiennent la diversification et la croissance durable de l’économie de Dubaï dans 10 secteurs clés : immobilier, hôtellerie, loisirs et divertissement, médias, TIC, design, éducation, vente au détail, fabrication, logistique et science.

www.dubaiholding.com
www.twitter.com/dubaiholding
www.instagram.com/dubaiholding
www.facebook.com/dubaiholding
www.youtube.com/user/dubaiholding
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dubai-holding

Contact pour les médias
Diane Zuniga
Golin
dzuniga@golin.com / 909-510-0433

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1780422/PopID_Visa.jpg

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IEAD et Envision signent une lettre d’intention pour construire le plus grand parc éolien de l’ANASE

SHANGHAI, 5 avril 2022 /PRNewswire/ — La société Envision Group (Envision) annonce qu’elle a signé une lettre d’intention avec Impact Energy Asia Development Limited (IEAD) pour la fourniture d’éoliennes dans le cadre du projet emblématique Monsoon Wind de 600 MW au Laos. La construction du parc éolien débutera cette année et son exploitation commerciale est prévue en 2025. Une fois achevé, il s’agira du plus grand parc éolien de l’ASEAN et du premier projet transfrontalier d’énergie éolienne de la région.

Envision Logo

Le parc éolien sera situé dans les provinces de Sekong et d’Attapeu dans le sud de la République démocratique populaire lao. Envision prévoit de fournir 133 éoliennes EN-171 d’une puissance de 4,51 MW. Le projet Monsoon Wind produira plus de 1 700 GWh d’énergie verte chaque année. L’électricité produite dans le cadre du projet sera acheminée de la République démocratique populaire lao vers le centre du Vietnam par la ligne de transmission de 500 kV prévue à cet effet.

M. Nat Hutanuwatr, directeur général d’IEAD, a commenté : « Alors que nous faisons d’excellents progrès dans le développement du premier et plus grand parc éolien transfrontalier en Asie du Sud-Est à un tarif très compétitif, nous sommes ravis d’accueillir Envision dans notre formidable projet de production d’électricité sans carbone. La technologie de pointe d’Envision pour les éoliennes proposées et son expérience d’exécution fructueuse seront des éléments clés qui permettront au projet d’atteindre ses objectifs de manière fiable et économique ».

Le projet Monsoon a suscité l’attention du monde entier depuis ses débuts. La filiale d’IEAD, Impact Electrons Siam Company Limited (IES), a commencé à développer le parc éolien en 2011 et IEAD a signé un accord d’achat d’électricité de 25 ans avec Vietnam Electricity (EVN) en juillet 2021.

Envision collabore également avec IES pour le développement du projet éolien de Xekong, un autre parc éolien de 1 000 MW sur un site adjacent au projet Monsoon. IES a récemment annoncé qu’elle avait obtenu les droits exclusifs du gouvernement de la République démocratique populaire lao pour mener une étude de faisabilité et une évaluation préliminaire de l’impact sur l’environnement pour le projet éolien de Xekong.

À propos d’Impact Energy Asia Development Limited

Impact Energy Asia Development Limited (IEAD), qui développe le projet Monsoon Wind, est détenu à 55 % par Impact Wind Investment Limited et à 45 % par BCPG Public Company Limited, une société leader dans le domaine des énergies renouvelables en Thaïlande et en Asie-Pacifique.

À propos d’Impact Electrons Siam Limited 

Impact Electrons Siam Limited (IES) est une entreprise pionnière dans le développement des énergies renouvelables, dont le siège social se trouve en Thaïlande. Elle compte plus de 1 900 MW de projets d’énergie éolienne et solaire en développement et en exploitation en Thaïlande, au Japon, au Laos et au Vietnam. IES est une entreprise privée fondée en 2011. IES développe des solutions d’énergie renouvelable propres, abordables et fiables et fait figure de précurseur en matière d’innovation visionnaire dans le secteur des énergies renouvelables, avec pour objectif de construire un avenir meilleur pour les populations de la région.

IES dirige le développement des parcs éoliens de Monsoon et de Xekong dans le sud de la République démocratique populaire lao, qui disposeront d’une capacité totale de 1 600 MW. IES a récemment annoncé que le projet Monsoon Wind Power Project avait signé un accord d’achat d’électricité avec Vietnam Electricity, le projet étant en bonne voie d’atteindre la clôture financière en 2022.

Pour en savoir plus, consultez le site http://www.impactelectrons.com/

À propos d’Envision Group

Envision Group est une entreprise internationale de premier plan dans le domaine des technologies vertes et un partenaire technologique zéro émission. Avec la mission de « résoudre les défis pour un avenir durable de l’humanité ». Envision conçoit, vend et exploite des éoliennes et un système de stockage intelligents par le biais d’Envision Energy ; des batteries alimentées par l’AIoT par le biais d’Envision AESC ; et le plus grand système d’exploitation AIoT au monde par le biais d’Envision Digital. Elle est également propriétaire de l’équipe de Formule E Envision Racing. Envision continue de promouvoir l’énergie éolienne et solaire comme le « nouveau charbon », les batteries et l’hydrogène combustible comme le « nouveau pétrole », le réseau AIoT comme le « nouveau réseau », les parcs industriels zéro émission comme la « nouvelle infrastructure », et de promouvoir la construction et la culture de la « nouvelle industrie » verte.

La société Envision Group a été classée dans le Top 10 des 50 entreprises les plus intelligentes du monde en 2019 par le MIT Technology Review. En octobre 2021, Envision a été classée deuxième au monde sur la liste Fortune « Change the World ». Envision Group a rejoint l’initiative mondiale ‘RE100’ et est devenu la première entreprise de Chine continentale à s’engager à produire 100 % d’électricité renouvelable d’ici 2025. Le 22 avril 2021, Envision Group a annoncé sa volonté d’atteindre la neutralité carbone dans ses opérations d’ici 2022 et d’atteindre la neutralité carbone dans l’ensemble de sa chaîne de valeur d’ici 2028.

Pour plus d’informations, rendez-vous sur www.envision-group.com

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/747745/Envision_Logo.jpg

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Tigrinya Traditional Songs

When I was a child I remember that whenever we had parties, whether it was a wedding or graduation, my grandmother and her friends gather up and start singing, dancing and clapping. Above all though, the lyrics and melody they come up with at the moment always turn out to be funny and the laughter would never stop. But these days, my mom and her friends never seem to be doing these kind of songs; whenever they gather for celebrations they rather let the stereo or the DJ do the work. Aside from some remixed or blended with modern music, original traditional songs are becoming very hard to get. Most people agree that the most we hear of traditional songs is during the annually held festival and during that limited period, it’s a known fact that all the types of traditional songs could not be performed.

According to Mr. Abraham Zere, journalist and researcher of oral traditions, traditional songs particularly in the Tigrinya ethnic group are a lot in number. Abraham was generous in giving time and sharing extracts from his research with us. Some of the type of traditional songs he mentioned are:

Wefera (songs of work): These type of songs are sang on the daily activities of the society. Some of those daily activities include farm related works like plowing and harvesting. There is a tradition of helping widows and elderly people without children during the farm season, so within this time of work the workers sing songs as a motivation for the work they are doing to be accomplished smoothly. The songs they sing include Albiney Zuri and Hoho nea Hoho. Another important work done accompanied by the wefera songs is building and fixing Hdmos, local highland houses.

Wedding songs: These songs are generally happy songs, it is sang by women while preparing the feast for the wedding. Friends of the bride to be have a great role in this especially during Mekntat, a daylong singing and dancing celebrating the bride’s transition from a girl to woman. Moreover, there is mekbal and mefnaw where the friends sing to welcome the groom and his friends. Then when the ceremony ends the friends sing farewell songs which goes as Kidyom Kidyom adi guana kidyom feshke enda belki lebom teazebyom, it means go live with your in-laws just smile and see what’s in their heart. The male part in this celebration is on the wedding day. A group of men called Werado Meraa which encompasses the groom’s family members and friends heading to the bride’s house sing Shebo Lega Shebo also known as Megelele, which is a song of good wishes to the couple. And there are songs called Mehishe, which are sang on the honeymoon.

Hanse Meskele and Ashenda Songs: These songs are sang particularly around Kudus Yohannes and Meskel holidays when the farm fields are green and flowers are blooming. This is the time when the farm season is done. Teenage boys and girls are allowed to mingle with each other and play around all day. Some of these songs are called Hembtit, Ashewtana, Hembeze and Shamno. These songs are very popular because the youngsters are free to express their feelings and give them more chance to be around each other. Another popular song is Hoye Hoye, where children and teenage boys circle around their village chanting songs that depict their good harvest season and wishing for a better year. When they are done circling the village, they start a bonfire inviting everybody to join them and celebrate with dances and songs all night.

Songs of Legends: Songs of this category are sang to represent the heroic figures in regards to their courage, ability and feats. Most of the men mentioned in these type of songs were great warriors. Some of these legends frequently mentioned in songs are Negusse Elfu, Yohanes Wedi Zemo, Ras Woldemichael Solomn and Bahta Hagos. Moreover, there are songs admiring the remarkable beauty of women such as Wuba, Mamet and Gual Seleba.

Songs of War: They are songs which are sang in times of war and after war. A memorable song is Sesenu Sesenu shehen wltan kunu ata eza adna keyatwa guana, loosely translated as lets be untied, brave and protect our country.

Songs of love: As its name indicates, these songs are dedicated to love. In the Tigrigna tradition it was not common to acknowledge your love openly especially if you are not married so it was much easier to sing out your feelings. Dekiski do dekas ayhabki lebi gobez abe zban sekelki, he is explaining how much her love hurts and that he couldn’t sleep because he thinks about her a lot.

Aror and Graror: These are songs about motherhood particularly sang after three days of delivering the baby and in the first stages of the baby. Also they are lullaby. Ata e’ndu weday e’ndu weday melise do keetweka abza kebday, a mother affectionately singing to her baby.

Aidere: Are songs that belittle the people who have done things out of the society’s norm. Some of these norms are infidelity, losing virginity and being pregnant out of wedlock, stealing and lying. These songs are specifically performed by girls from the age of 12-19. This out of all the songs is very crucial in keeping the society’s norms intact.

Mhlela: These are practiced by older women and sometimes men. These chants are cry for help to God. Women gather around at one place and ask God for longer rainy season, health and peace for all. They also head to monasteries in group and stay there for a day or two singing to God the whole night.

The importance of traditional songs is very evident that the people who maintain such traditions are valued highly among the society, especially those who developed the ability to accompany the songs and chants with traditional music instruments. Some of the instruments used in the Tigrinya culture are drums, Kerar, Emblta and Wata. And some the notable people who used these instruments were Teklu Kerara, Elias Mesmer, Fekreslasie Okbaselasie and Teomzgie. Teklu was a conscripted Italian soldier and he was famous among his fellow soldiers for playing Kerar and making them feel like at home.

Wrapping up his chat on the types of Tigrinya traditional songs, Abraham said our traditional songs are barely surviving, they are being blended with modern beats that they are losing their originality even in the far remote villages. He calls out for the youngsters to go back to their roots and make the traditional songs lively again.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

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TSG is the overall champion of the Tour of Thailand

The TSG team celebrated the success of emerging the overall champion of the Tour of Thailand.

KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu Polygon Cycling (TSG) achieved two positive finishes on the last day of the Tour of Thailand campaign today.

TSG closed the tour curtain by grabbing another finish on the podium in addition to the overall best team (GC) title.

Team rider Metkel Eyob (Eritrea) took third place in the sixth and final stage of 165.2 kilometers (km) starting from Nakhon Phanom and ending with a hilltop finish in Mukdahan.

He missed the first podium when cut about 100 yards before crossing the finish line.

Nathan Earle of Ukyo’s squad took the win in three hours 40 minutes and 10 seconds with Valentin Midey (Roojai Cycling Team) taking second place followed by Eyob.

Another TSG rider, Shahrul Mat Amin crossed the finish line in 21st position but it was not enough for him to retain the jersey of the best ASEAN rider.

The result achieved by Eyob is enough to help TSG emerge the best team overall and also win the title of the best team in ASEAN.

“Actually the plan is to keep the ASEAN rider’s jersey for Shahrul and the GC position besides me winning the race stage.

“Today was a bit hot and we did our best and I got third place, sometimes this is what happens in a race,” Eyob said.

“But I think we still got good results on this tour. We won two stages through Harrif Saleh (stages three and four) and also won the GC as well as the best ASEAN team,” he added.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

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When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Get Going

Meet Eritrean cyclist, Henok Mulubrhan. The reigning African champion and the current UCI Continental Team Bike Aid rider. The African Continental Cycling Championships (ACCC) are a series of cycling competitions held annually in both men and women category. The competitions include, Individual Time Trial (ITT), Team Time Trial (TTT), the recently introduced mixed relay and the final road race which decides the African cycling champion. The competitions have been held since 2001, and over the past 12 editions, the championship has been dominated by Eritrean riders. Henok, like his predecessors, has already shown what he is made of in tough races at home and in Europe. He is currently considered one of the continent’s biggest talents and was crowned African cycling champion after an incredible sprint win at Sharm El-sheik in March. We have conducted a brief interview; here we go…

• It’s nice having you here Henok. Please introduce our readers with yourself.

The pleasure is all mine, and thank you for having me here. My name is Henok Mulubrhan and I’m a professional cyclist. I was born in Asmara on November 11, 1999 and was brought up here as well. I have always had love for cycling since my childhood. It was a dream I wanted to come true. Hence I joined cycling in 2014 after approval from my parents. I started with a mountain bike and eventually progressed to the third division a year later, and I finally joined Asbeco Club in 2016 in the second division. Later that year, I participated at the Junior World Cycling Championships in Qatar representing Eritrea. Accordingly, I have represented my country and my teams in various competitions ever since.

I also want to tell you that I have signed a new contract with a new team that will be effective on April 1.

• Congratulations on your success. How was the African Championships this year?

Thank you. The African Continental Championships 2022 was an amazing competition. I am short of words to explain the feeling I had during that time. Cycling isn’t an easy job. I had to give all I could to reach the stage I am at the time. It is a collective sum of the sweat and tears I had shed. Of course it has a lot of challenges but I always had a clear goal and faced the hardships with enthusiasm.

I am always keen to learning more on how to maintain consistency. This year has started with a great success overall but consistency is of paramount importance to me. We need to keep practicing more and more. It keeps getting harder and so we should also get stronger and better. Eritrea has now maintained a big name among the ranks of the well-known countries in the cycling and athletics world. Hence, I strongly believe that to keep up the name of the country, the federations and all the pertaining institutions should put more effort on nurturing young cyclists and promoting the growing ones.

• Is it true that the cyclists at the ACCC were particularly threatened by Eritrean riders?

Definitely they were. Eritrea has a big name and history in cycling. A lot of Eritrean cyclists have been dominating the African championship and have been making names in other world competitions. The enthusiasm that we have and the effort that we put into what we do is probably the reason that makes Eritrean cyclists outstanding. We as a country have the potential to conquer the cycling world and this puts pressure on other cyclists.

• Multiple successes have been achieved in cycling this year, what is the secret?

I think it’s because the extent of our ability has been growing as a nation. The relentless need for growth and success pushed us to step out of our comfort zones. Our nation’s name has crossed the continent and reached in Europe now.

The government and the fans keep supporting us from the very beginning which also inspired motivation in us. All of the Eritrean cyclists who have excelled in major international competitions provide additional impetus for the young ones to upsurge interest in sports. The pioneer heroes became role models for many of us to devote our efforts intensely to cycling. We are confident in our potentials and in what we can do as we saw our older brothers and sisters achieve great success in the sport world. Our support for each other and the federation made us confident and undeniably strong.

• What impact will the growing success have to our nation?

First of all it is making our nation’s name shine in the world, we are putting our print in the sport world. As of today, Eritrea is ranked 21st in the UCI nation ranking and we’ll keep going until we reach the top. Despite the biased points of view of some people from the outside and despite how small our country is, this country has been the most successful cycling nation in African for several years and brings forth the greatest talents. Our brothers and friends such as Merhawi Kudus, Amanuel Ghebregziabhier, Daniel Teklehaymanot, Biniam Ghirmay and more are making history by finding their way into World Tour Teams. Hence, I am convinced that more young riders will come and make history in the cycling world. There’s no doubt that we can prevail as a cycling nation. Eritrean cyclists have become one source of pride for Eritrea and Africa in general.

• Any final remarks

Sport in general and cycling in particular has always been a part of the daily routine in our country. I’m sure there are a lot of young boys and girls who are dreaming and wanting to become cyclists. I would love to tell them to dream big and work hard to live what they have been dreaming. I would love to advise all of the cyclists in Eritrea to keep on going without getting distracted. Have a clear goal and give your 100%. I did work very hard to reach here and everyone else should do that too to be successful in whatever they are doing.

I’m also so grateful to my fans who have been so supportive wherever I went to and all of my coaches. I’m also grateful to my family who have been very supportive of my career from the very beginning. And I want to dedicate the African Championship victory to our deceased sister cyclist Deset Kidane. Thank you!

• Thank you for time!

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea