This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Fort William gets world bike championship
27/09/2004
The Highlands have won the bid to host the 2007 UCI
Mountain Bike Championships.
The Championships, which will take place in Fort William
during Scotland's Year of Highland Culture, will form part
of an exciting series of events to run throughout the
year.
Following the announcement this morning by the governing
body International Cycle Union (UCI) in Italy, Tourism,
Culture and Sport Minister Frank McAveety said:
"This is terrific news for the Highlands and for
Scotland. Fort William has been so successful at hosting
mountain bike world cups in the past, that the UCI want to
take advantage of the Nevis Range facilities again and host
a full championship. I was in Fort William myself this year
to see some of the best riders in the world race on
Scotland's most spectacular and most challenging
terrain.
"The Mountain Bike World Championships, which has been
supported by the Executive through EventScotland, will draw
thousands of enthusiasts from all over the globe to
Scotland. The economic and tourism benefits to the area
cannot be overestimated, and this event fits well with our
aim of making Scotland a major events destination by
2015."
David Williams, Chief Executive of EventScotland
said:
"EventScotland welcomes the UCI decision and celebrates
with our bid partners on being awarded the honour of
hosting the 2007 World Championships. EventScotland has
supported the Mountain Bike World Cup competitions at Fort
William over the past two years. These events have grown
in stature and popularity with participants and spectators
alike, attracting thousands of visitors to the Lochaber
area. Today's decision provides Scotland with yet another
opportunity to develop such major international events and
once again showcase the country as a leading events
destination to a worldwide audience. We are looking
forward to continuing working in close partnership with the
UCI and event organisers to ensure that Scotland delivers
the best ever World Championships in 2007."
The Championships will also be taking place during a
special year of events and festivities. Scotland's Year of
Highland Culture, whose project director will be focussing
on drawing together a programme when taking up post in
October, will see residents and visitors from Scotland and
abroad flock to the Highlands to join in celebrations.
Frank McAveety added:
"The events will showcase the richness, impact and
potential of Highland culture - past, present and future,
and will play on the region's traditional and contemporary
strengths and cultural aspirations.
"Partners have been drawn together to form a taskforce
since the First Minister's pledge in 2002 for a special
year-long event to celebrate Highland culture. Twenty-six
national agencies, including the Executive, have signed a
concordat to work together to deliver on this pledge and
much progress has been made in taking this forward.
"I'm delighted not only to have secured the UCI event in
September, but that the Highlands will take centre stage
for 2007. Scotland's Year of Highland Culture will be a
tremendous year for the Highlands and a proud year for the
whole of Scotland."
The UCI Mountain Bike World Championships is the most
important and prestigious international competition in the
calendar. The World Championships at Fort William, which
faced stiff competition from Canada and Australia, will be
the last major mountain bike cross country competition
before the Bejing Olympics in 2008 and a key event for all
riders and their national cycling federations.
The Nevis Range ski area at Fort William has
successfully hosted rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World
Cup in 2002, 2003 and 2004, firmly establishing itself as
one of the best competition venues in the world.
With the recent announcement by the UCI that Fort
William is to host the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Finals
in September 2005, an extensive programme of mountain bike
events leading up to the World Championships in 2007 is now
guaranteed.