For the first time in more than 10 years a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) BMX Supercross World Cup event has been held in Australia and Greater Shepparton was proud to secure this event which will see more than 200 of the world’s best BMX riders from over 30 countries participating in 2020.
Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Cr Kim O’Keeffe said the grant would allow Council to take this event to a new level.
“With this funding, the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup will now have a supporting festival during the event, showcasing food and music to celebrate the strengths of our diverse community to the many visitors converging on our region,” Cr O’Keeffe said.
Part of the funding will also support the Shepparton BMX Club to develop new programs, activities and events to help the club grow membership and increase club sustainability.
“The additional sports development funding will help get more kids on bikes keeping our next generation fit, healthy and active while having fun,” Cr O’Keeffe said.
The event will now also look to host an amateur participation event with up to 1,000 competitors and expand its marketing and broadcast reach.
It is expected that the additional funding support will now attract an additional 5,000 to 7,000 people including up to 1,000 international visitors with over 10,000 people now expected to attend the event.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to further highlight Greater Shepparton as a leading sporting capital in regional Australia and showcase our wonderful local businesses and attractions on an international scale,” Cr O’Keeffe said.
“We are estimating the economic impact will be more than $2.7 million, which will be a substantial economic boost for our community.”
The opening rounds of the 2020 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup will be held from Friday 31 January to Sunday 2 February 2020. This will be one of the last major BMX events before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with qualifying points still occurring.
