Hosted on February 1 and 2 this year, this was the first UCI BMX Supercross World Cup to be held in Australia in more than a decade and first ever held regionally.
The World Cup was one of the last qualifying rounds for the now-postponed 2020 Olympic Games.
The event was listed as a state finalist in September this year, giving it a chance to be named Victoria’s Best Regional Event.
The event missed out on the major award, but was recognised as one of the best regional events in Victoria this year.
Nearly 200 riders from 26 different countries attracted more than 3000 visitors to the World Cup across three days of competition, with 83 per cent of those coming from outside the Greater Shepparton region. The riders, their support crew, friends and family included an impressive 500-plus international travellers who stayed in the region for more than a week, amounting to an economic impact of $3.47 million.
Council added to the hype around the region by holding a cycling festival which included the opening round of the BMX Australia National Series on the Friday evening and the Bikes and Bites festival at Victoria Park Lake on the Saturday evening which drew a crowd of 4000 people.
Further to the programmed events, a BMX legacy development program in conjunction with BMX Victoria, Shepparton BMX club and local schools will be rolled out post COVID-19.
Council’s Director Sustainable Development Geraldine Christou said the region should be proud to be recognised on such a big stage.
“Council has committed to investing and developing our sporting facilities helping building our region’s brand and putting us on the map as a major event capital of regional Australia, and the hosting of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup further enhanced this reputation,” she said.
“We are so proud to have been recognised as a state finalist in the Australian Event Awards for what was a significant coup for not only Greater Shepparton but also Victoria and Australia.
“Hosting this event has seen a 10-year vision come to fruition for the city, and Council would like to thank the UCI for their faith in Greater Shepparton, the magnificent volunteers at the Shepparton BMX Club, our bid partners Cycling and BMX Australia, our funding partners the Federal and Victorian Governments and the local businesses and community members who supported the World Cup event, this really took a community-wide effort to host an event of this nature.”
