Cape Town gets 'B' Olympics

2005-09-29 12:09

Cape Town - South Africa, more specifically Cape Town, will play host to the "B" World Championships for riders on the track and road to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2008 in Beijing, China. The events will take place between 11 and 15 July 2007.

There is also a big possibility that the International Cycling Federation (UCI) might have its annual world congress during the same period which in itself will be a major achievement.

Alec Lenferna, director of Treble Entertainment and the company who secured the rights to organise the championships, said it will be a major boost for the sport in general while the tourism industry will also benefit from activities like this.

"Winning the bid, was only the first step in a long line of things to happen before it will become a reality. A lot of things need to be in place for everything to run smoothly, but I'm confident that we'll be ready," he said.

Lenferna explained that the "B" championships take place every year before the Olympics. "It gives 'smaller' countries the opportunity to qualify with the full compliment of riders in the different disciplines to take part in the Olympics.

"To be part of the Olympics, any country must earn enough points (road) and reach certain standards (track) to be considered for their national teams to go to the games.

Bigger and more active countries on the world stage usually reach these goals quite easily with riders taking part in all the big events.

"The same unfortunately can not be said about many of the smaller countries where cycling is not that a big issue in the general sport setup of that specific country.

Not many countries can afford to send their riders to all the World Cup and big events to try and reach certain goals to be considered for national selection.

- SAPA