Greater Shepparton City Council has been named as a finalist for the Australian Event Awards for its hosting of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in February, in the Best Regional Event category.
And when you consider the company the World Cup event put Shepparton in — other host cities include Paris, Manchester and Madrid — it is little wonder it has drawn acclaim.
City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Seema Abdullah acknowledged as much, stating it was one of the biggest events the region had ever seen.
“The BMX World Cup was a significant coup for the region adding to our reputation as a regional sporting event capital,” she said.
“We welcomed international visitors to our region as well as those travelling from across Australia to see the world’s best riders at our track generating an economic impact of $3.47 million.
“Council would like to thank all the local businesses and community members who supported the world cup event along with our funding partners the Federal Government and Victorian Government. Without everyone’s support this event would not have been as successful.”
The extravaganza weekend had rounds one and two of the BMX Supercross World Cup run in town, with many former and future Olympians taking to the town's state-of-the-art facilities.
Just the latest in a series of blue chip events hosted in town, Abdullah said Shepparton's reputation as the regional sporting capital of the world was ever-expanding.
“Hosting international events like these which are broadcast right around the globe, helps build our brand and position Greater Shepparton as a vibrant livable city,” she said.
“Receiving a finalist placement from the high-profile awards is a tremendous achievement for our region.
“Although our local events are put on hold so we can focus on slowing the spread of COVID-19 we look forward to hosting celebrations in the community once again when it is safe to do so.”
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