BMX World Cup to be taken to new level

A FEDERAL Government grant of $145,000 will help see Greater Shepparton City Council take the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) 2020 BMX Supercross World Cup to the next level when it comes to the region next year.

This will be the first time in more than 10 years a UCI BMX Supercross World Cup event has been held in Australia, with Greater Shepparton securing the event that will see more than 200 of the world’s best BMX riders from over 30 countries participating.

Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Cr Kim O’Keeffe said, “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 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 funding support will now attract an additional 5,000 to 7,000 people, including up to 1,000 international visitors. Organisers are now expecting over 10,000 people to attend the event.

“We are estimating the economic impact will be more than $2.7M, which will be a substantial economic boost for our community,” Cr O’Keeffe said.

The opening rounds of the UCI 2020 BMX Supercross World Cup will be held from Friday, January 31 to Sunday, February 2, 2020. This will be one of the last major BMX events before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with qualifying points still occurring.