Auckland to host BMX World Championships

Auckland to host BMX World Championships

New Zealand has won the rights to host the UCI BMX World Championships in 2013 to be held in Auckland.

The world ruling body, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) informed BikeNZ overnight that the joint bid with BMX New Zealand, Auckland City Council and the government has been successful.

The event will be staged at Auckland’s Vector Arena in mid-July 2013, where a purpose-built track will be constructed using between 5000-6000 cubic metres of dirt.

The championship is expected to attract 4500 competitors, officials and supporters to the country for one of the world’s fastest growing sports that made its Olympic debut in Beijing.

Current BMX double World Champion Sarah Walker said she was thrilled with the news.

“To have the world championships in my own country will be amazing because although BMX has slowly made its way into the kiwi public eye, it will bring so much more attention to the sport,” Walker said from California today where she is preparing to defend her world championship.

“Hopefully it will create more excitement about our sport. Being able to show off the sport that I love and compete at the highest level in front of my friends and family that haven't had the chance to watch an international BMX event will be such a buzz.”

Auckland Mayor John Banks says the next couple of years will be exciting and certainly busy for Auckland as the city welcomes many major sporting events to its shores.

“Hosting the 2013 UCI BMX World Championships will be another great opportunity to demonstrate Auckland’s ability to deliver major events,” says Mr Banks.

“Winning the rights to host this fantastic international event was the result of a successful partnership between Auckland City Council, BikeNZ, BMX New Zealand and central government.”

The event will generate a number of economic, social and international exposure benefits for the Auckland region and New Zealand. It is expected to generate an estimated $13 million of new income into Auckland during the city’s off peak tourism season.

The event will provide an enormous boost for the sport in this country, according to BikeNZ.

“This is another incredible step in the growth of cycling in New Zealand. With the Junior World Track Championships here in 2012, this event for BMX will continue to escalate the growth of our sport and greatly benefit the future champions we will see leading on the world stage through to the Rio Olympics in 2016,” said BikeNZ High Performance Director, Mark Elliott.

“We have a strong group of 15 to 17 year old BMX riders who are pushing their way into our High Performance programme. The timing of this world championship will see a number of these athletes pushing to showcase their potential on home soil.”

BMX New Zealand president, Bruce Northwood said it is great news for his sport and now his organisation will go about the huge job of organising the event.

“We have some great people in this country in this sport and now we can focus on not only show-piecing this sport at its best to New Zealand but also raise the bar on presenting the BMX World Championship to the world,” Northwood said.

“Certainly to stage this indoors right in downtown Auckland in a superb facility like the Vector Arena presents a splendid opportunity.”

Mr Northwood said that the organisation will now focus on ensuring the funding required to ensure its success, and hopes to make announcements in the near future.

ENDS

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