BILBAO – The Tour de France is the most-watched sporting event in the world after the Olympics and the World Cup. Hence, the chance to host the race legs – 21 of them – is very sought after and lucrative for the host city.
A mammoth race like this has 176 riders from 22 participating teams, 900 team assistants, 1,800 journalists, and 400 members of the organisation, with 180 trucks working.
Some 150 vehicles join the publicity caravan, which takes up 10km of road with its 500 entertainers and takes two hours to warm the atmosphere up before the riders’ arrival.
One and a half million fans are expected to be on the road in the race’s three days in the Basque country. Furthermore, the television signal will be received in more than 200 countries.
The tour’s first three days in Basque country have cost the region about €12 million (RM61 million) in investment this year, after years of planning.
The entire country stands to gain about €100 million in direct return of investment, with media coverage to about 200 countries and future earnings to be calculated in due course.
The world turned up to watch the race, with visitors from France, Germany, the United States, and the Middle East to join the European countries that are already huge supporters of the race.
Events like this are supported and continue to contribute to the host venue’s local economies and industries, from tourism, transportation, and F&B to domestic retail.
When you include schools, universities and other training facilities, you ensure that the next generation can be positively impacted from hosting such events.
This is why Malaysia has hosted an array of international events from Formula One, MotoGP, the Commonwealth Games, SEA Games, and so on.
Compare this with the Tour de Langkawi, which is now at risk of being dropped from the UCI calendar. Once again, Malaysia makes global news for the wrong reasons, from a race that is known the world over for the wrong reasons.
Time and again, organisers of such events expect the government to bail them out with grants, subsidies, and soft loans after embarrassing us globally. When will we truly see global events that are run properly, benefiting the fans, public, and the tourism industry?
Will there be a transparent inquiry into this? Year after year, this race here has failed to deliver any impact. Will the faces behind this be made public? Will the Malaysian image abroad ever be fixed? These are questions that need to be answered as once again the current government has committed to support the event with public funds.
Over the weekend in Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz, and even San Sebastián in the Basque region of Spain, the stages were conquered by Adam Yates, Victor Lafay, and Jesper Philipsen from different teams. However, the real winner was the hosts.
The leaders of the Basque region can rest easy knowing that their efforts will be seen far and wide, and the impact to their constituents, the public, and the local industry will be seen for years to come.
How we wish we could share those feelings as well. – The Vibes, July 5, 2023
