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Mountain
Bike World Championships head 'down under' in 2009 - Cycling Australia
Media Release
The Management Committee of the UCI (International Cycling Union) at a meeting overnight in Belgium
confirmed Canberra as the host city of the 2009 Mountain Bike and Trials World
Championships. The Championships will be staged from September 1 to 6, 2009 and
are expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors from up to 40 countries.
UCI Vice President, Ray Godkin OAM, said the UCI was
impressed by Australia’s passion for mountain biking and the quality of the
proposed venue – Canberra’s new $7.5 million world-class Stromlo Forest Park -
where the Australian Mountain Bike Championships are currently being
contested.
“Australia has a proven track
record of hosting world class events and we are confident Canberra will deliver
an outstanding World Championships,” Mr Godkin said.
The event will involve more than 750 of the world's top riders who
will compete in the four mountain bike disciplines of Cross Country, Downhill,
Four Cross and Observed Trials for the honour of being crowned World
Champion.
Cycling Australia President Mike
Victor said being awarded the right to host the Mountain Bike World
Championships is a major coup and will not only highlight the talent of our
elite mountain bikers but the excellence or our sporting
organisers.
“The World Championships will
put mountain biking well and truly in the spotlight both nationally and
internationally and showcase Australia's emerging dominance in a cycling
discipline that continues to go from strength to strength,” Mr Victor
said.
Canberra Off Road Cyclists (CORC)
and Apis Events have joined forces to host and manage the 2009 World
Championships. MTB World Events, the CORC-Apis joint venture company will
oversee the planning, organisation and running of the 2009 UCI World
Championships.
CORC president Anthony
Burton said it was a historic achievement for the ACT to host the World
Championships and a major vote of confidence for the local mountain biking
community.
“It's a perfect chance to
highlight Stromlo Forest Park and Canberra as the number one mountain biking
venue in Australia and a must-see facility for riders around the world,” Mr
Burton said. “We are perfectly positioned to deliver a highly successful World
Championships."
Stromlo Forest Park is
Australia's most advanced, purpose-built mountain bike park with cutting edge
courses designed by renowned international course expert Glen
Jacobs.
Background Facts
- World Championships head Down Under
The
2009 International Cycling Union (UCI) Mountain Bike and Trials World
Championships is the world's largest and most prestigious annual mountain bike
event. To be staged in Australia's capital city, Canberra, from September 1-6 at
the new, purpose-built Stromlo Forest Park, the World Championships will attract
more than 750 of the world's top riders from up to 40 countries. Elite riders will compete across the four mountain bike
disciplines of Cross Country, Downhill, Four Cross and Observed Trials for the
honour of being crowned World Champion. The World
Championships is the pinnacle international competition on the calendar for
Downhill, Four Cross and Observed Trials and second only to the Olympics Games
for Cross Country. An estimated $20 million is
expected to be injected into the local economy from the large-scale event that
will attract about 30,000 international visitors on key days of the competition,
together with a worldwide television audience of 25 million and significant
levels of international media coverage.
- Stromlo Forest Park – the world's ultimate
sporting venue
Stromlo Forest Park is Australia's most advanced,
purpose-built mountain bike park with cutting edge courses designed by renowned
international course designer Glen Jacobs. The onestop-shop sporting facility
features internationally-accredited mountain bike tracks including a world-class
downhill track, monster mountain cross facility, a permanent trials home and
over 60km of sweet cross country trails with plans for more to come in the
future. The park also caters for all levels of riders from beginners to mountain
bike experts. Spread across 1000 hectares and
located 10 minutes drive from the heart of Canberra, the $7.5 million multi-use,
purpose-built park was constructed following the 2003 Canberra bushfires that
destroyed Mount Stromlo Forest. During the world championships, the site will
also embrace a festival atmosphere with a wide range of action-packed
activities, displays and typically Australian attractions. The park also boasts
a spacious event pavilion, criterium cycling circuit, grass cross country
running track and horse trails.
- MTB World Events
Canberra Off Road
Cyclists (CORC) and Apis Events have joined forces to host and manage the 2009
World Championships. MTB World Events, the CORC-Apis joint venture company
will
oversee the planning, organisation and running of the World
Championships, which will be
broadcast to an audience of tens of millions
worldwide. CORC and Apis have previously
delivered high profile mountain bike
events including the award winning SCOTT Australian 24-Hour Mountain Bike
Championships - the world's largest 24hr mountain bike event and the 2007
TicketMates Australian Mountain Bike Championships.
- About CORC
Born in 1989 when mountain
bikes first started to become popular, CORC is one of Australia’s most active
mountain bike clubs with more than 560 members. The non-profit, membership
organisation facilitates and promotes safe and environmentally conscientious
off-road bicycling. CORC is an affiliated club of Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA)
Inc and has association with the International Mountain Bicycling Association
(IMBA), and other local, regional and national cycling interest groups.
- About Apis Events
Apis Events is a
specialist event management team within the Apis Consulting Group,
a
Canberra-based international project management business. Apis boasts a
highly experienced team of more than 50 professional project managers,
successfully delivering project-based outcomes for government and the private
sector since 1999, with additional offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, Singapore and
the Middle East. The combination of Apis’ core project management and sport
marketing experience means that Apis can provide a strong events management and
media marketing capability to professionally deliver a diverse range of events
and marketing solutions.
For further information (media only)
please contact:
Gennie Sheer, Sheer Rhetoric - Communications Director,
Cycling Australia
Tel: +61 (0) 418 863 533
Sharon Payne - MTBA Media Manager
Tel: +61 412 773 500
Karrie-anne Lawson - APIS
Events
Tel: +61 418 669 549 |
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