Melbourne Loses Volvo Ocean Race Bid
THURSDAY, 31 MAY 2007
Melbourne, through the Victorian Major Events Company (VMEC), had lost a bid to host a stopover for the Volvo Ocean 2008-2009 race.
The Volvo Event Management decided to take the race to China and Southeast Asia. Participating teams will visit Africa, the Middle East, Asia, South America, North America, and Europe. The race will be skipping Australia. A VMEC spokeswoman said that it has got to do with sponsorship and more money.
Melbourne has generated $27 million into the economy when the Volvo Ocean Race had stopped over at the Docklands this year. "It's clearly a lost opportunity because there are not many events that can promote our waterfront," Peter Danks, last year's Melbourne stopover manager said. "It's a great event. We're disappointed." The country will not be participating in the race next year.
For more information about this news story, read www.news.com.au.
|
|
|
|
|