England has beaten a rival bid from USA/Canada to host the Rugby League World Cup in 2021, the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) announced on Thursday.

As well as hosting the 31-game Men’s tournament, England will host the Women’s and Wheelchair tournament.

“The news today that England has won the right to host the Rugby League World Cup in 2021 is transformative for our sport,” said Brian Barwick, Chairman of the Rugby Football League in England.

“Our commitment to grow the game internationally, attract more spectators than ever before and put on the biggest and best event in the sports history has clearly been recognised by the RLIF.

“With a sold out game between England and New Zealand this weekend in the Ladbrokes Four Nations it is clear that there is a real passion for international Rugby League in this country. The UK has a proud reputation for delivering world class sporting events and the Rugby League World Cup in 2021 will round off an incredible decade of major events in our country that began with the London Olympics in 2012. The hard work starts now, but we are confident that we can deliver.

“Finally, we would like to thank the government for their steadfast support for the bid. Their pledge to help financially support the staging of this event and their commitment to provide up to an additional £10m investment in infrastructure for the sport of Rugby League, has undoubtedly helped to bring yet another iconic world class sporting event to this country.”

The tournament will benefit from central government backing.

"I am delighted that England has been chosen to stage the Rugby League World Cup in 2021, said Minister for Sport, Tracey Crouch.

“The government is investing up to £15 million to put on a world class show and up to a further £10 million into the game's infrastructure as part of the Northern Powerhouse agenda – and to help Rugby League grow outside its traditional home.

“The tournament will be a fantastic festival of rugby, enjoyed by a million spectators, and bringing economic benefits to host towns and cities. I look forward to working alongside the RLIF, RFL and UK Sport on an outstanding event."

The bid was supported by The Sports Consultancy, who worked closely with the RFL and UK Sport from concept design through to development of the bid book.

 “We are very grateful to The Sports Consultancy for their outstanding contribution in helping us to develop a high quality bid book that told a compelling story and ultimately won the RFL the rights,” said Jon Dutton, England 2021 Bid Lead.

“We believe it will be a transformative tournament for the sport both domestically and globally.

The 2021 Rugby League World Cup will be the biggest edition since 2000, with 16 teams and 31 matches and plans to stage 80% of games in Lancashire and Yorkshire with "showpiece fixtures" proposed for London, the Midlands and the north east of the country.

“Firstly congratulations to the team at the RFL who have worked tirelessly to bring this flagship event to England and we are hugely proud to have played a pivotal role,” said Robert Datnow, Joint Managing Director, The Sports Consultancy.

“I would also like to offer congratulations to our bid consulting team for their part in another winning bid and who from initial workshop through to bid book submission have demonstrated their professional, passionate and collaborative approach.”

The 2017 Rugby League World Cup will take place in Australia & New Zealand.

Over the years I have listened to dozens of marketing experts talk about how to effectively promote and sell your product or brand in the face of stiff competition. Undoubtedly there are various techniques and tactics that marketeers can deploy but for me, the conversation has always seemed to end up back at one place – the unique selling point.

Working out what it is that differentiates your product from all others on the market is the key to not only standing out from the crowd but maintaining credibility in an environment where everyone is trying to shout louder than you.

In Scotland, our golfing USP was forged many centuries ago when the humblest beginnings of a game now played by more than 60 million people worldwide first took root. Few countries in the world have such a close association with a single sport than Scotland does with golf.

It is known around the world as the birthplace of the game, where every legend of the sport has played, where the rules were first established and where the game’s greatest championships were first played.

It is the place where golf clubhouses are the hubs of local communities, where a love of the game is celebrated in families and passed down through generations and where the finite elements of the game are regularly dissected over a few drinks in the 19^th hole. In short, Scotland is the Home of Golf.

This USP represents the basis of all Scotland’s activities in golf, from promoting the country globally as a golf tourism destination to instilling it into the minds of Scotland’s schoolchildren as a game for everyone.

It has also been a catalyst for Scotland’s success in bidding for and securing the world’s most prestigious golf events. Don’t get me wrong, there are many factors that go into securing major events, not least past experience and an engaged and supportive Government, which we also have in abundance in Scotland.

But there is no doubt that when it comes to hosting a major golf event in Scotland, event organisers are drawn to the Scotland, the Home of Golf message and the added value it can bring to events.

A key example was The 2014 Ryder Cup, an event which was undoubtedly a huge success for Scotland, delivering economic impact, legacy and huge media profile in our key markets. But what was also apparent was the benefits that The Ryder Cup derived from being hosted in a country synonymous with the game and respected worldwide. Record numbers of overseas spectators at Gleneagles, including a larger proportion from the US than previous Ryder Cups, is indicative of that.

I don’t believe any other golf tourism brand can stand alongside that of The Ryder Cup and add value in the way that Scotland, the Home of Golf did in 2014. And in the current market with global golf sponsors and government support in shorter supply, in traditional markets at least, there is an even greater premium on a country being able to add brand value in this way.

When hosting a major event in Scotland, we endeavour to hand it back to organisers in a stronger position than when it came. This was a key element of our bid for The 2019 Solheim Cup and we firmly believe that Scotland, the Home of Golf can play its part in continuing to elevate the profile of not only The Solheim Cup but the women’s game globally.

There is an obvious quid pro quo in this equation. Our ultimate objective is to encourage more visitors to Scotland and we use our hosting of major golf events as a vehicle for achieving that. This event-led marketing strategy allows us to reach more potential visitors than we could through traditional marketing techniques and a limited budget, while adding further credibility to Scotland’s golfing proposition.

If you look closely at the golf events we support and the golf marketing we undertake, you’ll rarely see a VisitScotland logo when targeting golfing consumers. Instead, you’ll see the Scotland, the Home of Golf message because we know this resonates strongly with golfers around the globe.

This event-led technique also allows us to be innovative in the types of event we target, while also supporting the Scottish Government’s social inclusion and equality agenda. The 2019 Solheim Cup and the European Golf Team Championships – the world’s first mixed men’s and ladies professional event – in 2018 is further testament to that.

The golf tourism market is more competitive than it has ever been with golf tourists presented with more choice than ever before. Each destination has its proposition whether that be warm weather, cost, ease of access, new courses or luxury resorts. But among them Scotland continues to stand unique, as the only Home of Golf.

Paul Bush is speaking at Host City 2016, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. For more information visit www.hostcity.com/events/host-city-2016

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is planning to invite cities to bid to host the Davis Cup final from 2018.

Currently, each of the matches is hosted by one of the teams competing in that match, including the final.

"Right now we know who are in the finals but we don't know where it is going to be," ITF President David Haggerty told Reuters.

"It is really hard to plan and get viewership and fans excited," he said. "If you have a fixed site, people can begin to plan and look ahead.

He is proposing a new system whereby the final will be hosted in a host city in a neutral nation to be decided in advance.

"This is a way to unlock potential revenue which will help grassroots tennis," he told Reuters.

This system is also used by the UEFA Champions League where the final is held in a neutral host decided two years before the event, and the NFL’s Super Bowl final where the is host city is decided three to five years in advance.

"This is all part of our mission to make the appeal of tennis broad and wide," said Haggerty, who was elected president of ITF in 2015. "Davis Cup is 135 nations."

The ITF is also reported to be considering shortening matches and expanding the Fed Cup to include 16 nations.

Haggerty anticipates the price cities would pay for hosting the final will be "significant".

"We're waiting for cities to distinguish themselves," he told Reuters. "And we'll see what it is. I don't want to prejudge what it might be."

The proposals will be voted on by the ITF membership in August 2017 for implementation by 2018.

Haggerty anticipates a successful bid covering more than one year. "The most likely scenario would be for two-to-three-year terms," he said.

Croatia will host the 2016 Davis Cup final on 25 to 27 November, after they won their semi-final against France in Zadar, but a host city has not yet been named.

They will play Argentina, who beat Great Britain in a semi-final in Glasgow on16 to 18 September.

The current system gives little time to engage fans in the build-up to the event. "Last year we had a fantastic final in Ghent. But the reality is, Britain could have sold out the (13,000-capacity) stadium. Belgium could have sold it out, too.

"Our mission is to make tennis broad and wide. We have 700,000 spectators that come to Davis and Fed Cup each year... about 3.6 billion people view it on TV, but it's got to be more than that.

"It's got to be bigger than that, and with a neutral final venue we can work with our broadcast partners and make it a much bigger show than just two nations that know they're playing each other.”

Formula E on Tuesday said it would be inviting expressions of interest from new prospective host cities to join the 2017/18 calendar.

The structured selection process will be managed by London-based firm The Sports Consultancy, whose co-managing director Robert Datnow is speaking at Host City 2016 – the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events.

Successful hosts will be announced in June 2017, subject to approval of the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC).

“We have enjoyed remarkable growth over the first two seasons of Formula E and now have partnerships with some of the most iconic cities in the world and cutting-edge automotive brands,” said Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag.

“There is now a unique opportunity for new cities to join our calendar and share in the continued exponential growth of the championship.”

The FIA Formula E Championship races on the streets against a backdrop of some of the most iconic host cities, including New York, Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Monaco, Paris and Montreal.

The inaugural season of Formula E launched in September 2014 around the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing.

The third season, which opens in Hong Kong on 9 October 2016, sees 10 teams and 20 drivers race in 12 cities spanning five continents. The season ends in a double-header event in New York on 29 and 30 July 2017.

According to Formula E, the championship represents “a vision for the future of the motor industry, serving as a platform to showcase the latest innovations in electric vehicle technology and alternative energy solutions”.

The rights holder anticipates that the further opening of regulations in future seasons will allow manufacturers to focus on developing motor and battery components.

The International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH), whose membership has grown to include six new destinations, has revealed plans to meet during Host City 2016 in Glasgow.

Host City 2016, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, takes place in Glasgow on the 21 and 22 November.

Meetings of event hosts have been taking place informally at a small number of conferences, including Host City in November 2015. But it was not until the SportAccord Convention in April 2016 that a number of destinations gave a joint resolution to form IAEH.

The next formal meeting of IAEH will take place during Host City 2016.

“Further new members will be announced soon along with plans for the next regional meeting in Glasgow at the time of the Host City conference, and informal gathering in Lausanne around the Smart Cities and Sport conference,” IAEH said in a press release published on its website on Thursday 15 September.

A group of founder members of IAEH also met at British House in Rio on 16th August and agreed details of the interim management of the Association.

“As a result of the meeting, new members will now be formally welcomed and be encouraged to participate in knowledge sharing initiatives over coming months. Initial research on key topics is expected to be shared by the end of the 2016,” IAEH said after the meeting in Rio.

The six new destinations that have joined IAEH are: Maryland Sports, Events Management Queensland, innsbruck-tirol sports, Seattle Sports Commission, Edmonton Events and Ottawa Tourism.

Maryland Sports is the Sports Commission for the State of Maryland in the USA.

Events Management Queensland is a not-for-profit subsidiary of the state-owned tourism and events agency, Tourism and Events Queensland, based in the Australian Gold Coast. 

innsbruck-tirol sports GmbH was formed from the legacy of the 1^st Winter Youth Olympic Games 2012 in Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria. 

Seattle Sports Commission is the Sports Commission for Seattle, USA. 

Edmonton Events is a strategic partnership between the Canadian City of Edmonton and Edmonton Tourism.

Ottawa Tourism is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization, working to profile Ottawa and Canada’s Capital Region.

They join ten other city and country members of IAEH: Auckland; Canada; Denmark; Ireland; London; Los Angeles; New Zealand; Scotland Tampere; and USA.

[SOURCE: European Championships Management] The European Sports Federation members of the European Championships Board are pleased to announce the start of the host venue selection process for the 2022 edition of the multi-sport event.

The European Championships is a major new multi-sport event every four years, which aggregates the existing senior continental championships of Athletics (European Athletics), Aquatics (LEN), Cycling (UEC), Gymnastics (UEG), Rowing (FISA), Triathlon (ETU), with a new Golf Team Championships (ET & LET), unified under a common brand.

The event will bring together Europe’s very best athletes in an exciting new format with the full support of Europe’s free-to-air broadcasters. The first edition will be staged from 1-12th August 2018, co-hosted by Glasgow and Berlin, and the second edition is planned for summer 2022.

The first step in the bidding process for 2022 is the distribution of the official Bid Information Document to interested parties, with a preliminary questionnaire to be submitted by the end of 2016.

The participating European Sports Federations will announce the 2022 hosts in November 2017. The European Championships Board has expressed its preference for all events to be staged in one city or region in a window between late July and August 2022.

The key highlights of the European Championships 2022 for a host city/region are:

- The opportunity to host 7 European championships with 13 disciplines across 12 days: Athletics (including road events), Aquatics (Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming and Open Water), Cycling (Track, Road/time trial, BMX, Cross Country Mountain Bike), Artistic Gymnastics, Golf, Rowing and Triathlon.

- Over 4,500 competitors contesting over 170 gold medals.

- A projected 250 hours of host broadcaster coverage showcasing the city’s sports venues, landmarks and tourist destinations.

- An anticipated 2,700 hours of television coverage broadcast on free-to-air public networks.

- An estimated cumulative TV audience of over 1 billion with many more opportunities to access content across digital and radio platforms.

- Millions of fans engaged on the road to 2022 across multiple social media and digital platforms.

- Approximately 700,000 spectators will have the chance to see the Championships in stadia, competition halls and at road and open water events.

- Attention from all the major media outlets with 3,500 media professionals expected to attend.

- A platform for a creative and far-reaching mass participation programme across all sports.

- Public, commercial partnership, educational, technology, cultural, sporting and economic benefits for the host city, region and nation, with strategic opportunities to utilise the European Championships in city regeneration and development programmes.

European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen, co-chair of the 2018 European Championships Board, said, “The 2022 European Championships will be an incredible opportunity for host cities considering the direct and indirect economic benefits. We believe the innovative and sustainable event is very attractive and affordable, not least because of its cost-efficient staging model which is very good value from a host city perspective in comparison to other multi-sport opportunities in the market."

Fellow co-chair Paolo Barelli, President of the Ligue Européenne de Natation (European Aquatics), said, “By bringing together our existing championships once again, without adding to a crowded sporting calendar, we – the participating European Federations – will further protect and enhance the rich history and heritage of our respective sports. Both the federations and our hosts will see the powerful benefits of aggregation in 2022.”

Colin Hartley, Glasgow 2018 Championships Director, said: “This sustainable new model for staging a multi-sport event helps us deliver on our long-term commitment to produce strong economic benefits – as well as sporting, cultural and social legacy – by attracting new audiences to Glasgow and Scotland.

“The beauty of this new concept is it brings key sports together in our city at one time with a far greater media profile than we could achieve from individual events. We have not needed to build new stadia or an athletes’ village and we are able to showcase our existing facilities and landmarks. This new event is a critical element of our strategy to continue to be one of Europe’s premier sporting destinations.”

The European Championships Board requests that parties interested in staging the 2022 European Championships email EC2022@europeanchampionships.com to receive hosting information. European Championships Management (ECM) is co-ordinating the selection process for the 2022 European Championships on behalf of the European Federations. For media enquiries, please contact European Athletics Head of Communications and European Championships Strategic Communications Working Group Chairman James Mulligan at +41 79 694 48 29, james.mulligan@european-athletics.org.

[SOURCE: European Championships Management]

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has added Montreal to the 2017 ITU World Triathlon Series (WTS). The Canadian city will host the WTS for the first time on 5 to 6 August 2017, completing the 2017 WTS calendar that includes eight other city events between March and September.

Montreal featured in the 2016 ITU World Cup schedule for the first time on 7 August.

“Montreal proved to be an impressive host of the World Cup this year, with an incredible turnout for a new race that met all of our standards for a world class event,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado. “I’m pleased to welcome Montreal to the WTS, which completes our calendar for the coming season.”

The Netherlands city of Rotterdam, which hosted the 2016 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships, is also joining the World Triathlon Series for the first time on 14 to 17 September 2017.

As the final event in the series, Rotterdam will next year welcome thousands of age group athletes, along with junior, U23, paratriathlon & elite athletes to vie for world championship titles at the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final.

The full 2017 ITU World Triathlon Series calendar is: Abu Dhabi, UAE (3 to 4 March); Gold Coast, Australia (April 8 to 9); Yokohama, Japan (May 13 to 14); Leeds, England (June 10 to 11); Hamburg, Germany (July 15 to 16); Edmonton, Canada (July 28 to 30); Montreal, Canada (August 5 to 6); Stockholm, Sweden (August 26 to 27); Rotterdam, Netherlands (September 14 to 17)

The races at Abu Dhabi, Gold Coast, Hamburg and Edmonton will be contested over a sprint distance course, while the other events will be standard length.

Manchester in northern England is urging the new UK government, formed after the “Brexit” referendum, to put forward its bid for the 2025 World Expo.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) said it is “encouraging the government to seize the opportunity for a global shop window to demonstrate that the UK is open for business and committed to international trade following the referendum vote to leave the European Union”.

“It’s more important than ever that the UK takes it places on a world stage to compete for investment, exports and visitors,” said Tony Lloyd, interim Mayor of Greater Manchester.

“World Expo 2025 would be the perfect platform on which to do so and we believe Greater Manchester would offer an ideal option." 

Other UK cities have looked into staging the event. London conducted a feasibility study following meetings in 2014, while Liverpool was the only UK city to have a presence at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

The UK and any other bidding countries will need to put forward their candidate city by the 31 October 2016.

In the Netherlands, Rotterdam has been working on a bid. The project has the support of Rabobank Executive Board member Jan van Nieuwenhuizen, who says, “Young people want to give meaning to their lives... The Expo should inspire this generation of the future.”

France is considering a bid for 2025 World Expo, with Paris Mayor Anne Hildago and President Hollande having given their support. However, Paris is also bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games and staging both events in consecutive years would be an unprecedented challenge.

The Japanese city of Osaka, which hosted the 1970 World Expo, is also reported to be bidding for the 2025 edition - which would come five years after Tokyo's staging of the Olympic Games.

Toronto, which hosted a successful Pan-American Games in 2015, is also evaluating an Expo bid. However, city mayor John Tory has said he will only back the bid if the government gives assurance that they will cover any shortfall in private sector funding, and local support for such a publicly funded project is just 22 per cent. In order to bid, Canada would also need to rejoin the BIE.

Proponents of the Manchester bid say it is an opportunity to rebalance the national economy by reviving the “Northern Powerhouse” regional development strategy proposed by the previous government.

The Expo would take place on a 250-acre (110 ha) industrial site at Ashton Moss in Tameside, less than 10km from Manchester city centre and within 15km of Manchester airport.

“This bid has already been seen by Treasury who recognise its value but were not at the time of the last budget in a position to back it,” said Jake Berry, MP for nearby Rossendale and Darwen.

“If our new Prime Minister Theresa May is serious about continuing with the Northern Powerhouse it’s big ideas like 2025 Expo that the Government has to give its support to.

“This is a once in a generation opportunity to rebalance our economy and promote the Northern Powerhouse as a global brand. The Government saw fit to spend £9bn on bringing the Olympics to London. This seems to be a better investment.”

The north of England is also working towards the first “Great Exhibition of the North” in 2018, with Blackpool, Bradford, Newcastle-Gateshead or Sheffield due to be named as the host this autumn. 

World Expos takes place every five years and last for six months.  The cost of staging the 2025 World Expo in the UK has been estimated to be more than £1bn, but the Greater Manchester Combined Authority points out that recent World Expos have all more than covered costs through ticketing revenues and that “private sector contributions” could be explored for 2025.

The next World Expo will be held in Dubai in 2020. Looking beyond 2025, the Korean city of Busan has already stated its intention to bid for the 2030 World Expo.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic bid committee did nothing wrong in making payments to the Black Tidings consulting company during its campaign, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) has concluded after an investigation into allegations of illegal activities.  

The Guardian newspaper in the UK revealed in May that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic bid committee had made a payment of GB£1m to Black Tidings – a company headed by Singaporean consultant Ian Tan Tong Han.

Tan has since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games been a close associate of Papa Massata Diack, the son of Lamine Diack – who himself resigned from the IOC amid claims that he accepted bribes to cover up positive drugs tests when he was president of the International Association of Athletics Federation.

The payment to Black Tidings, reportedly signed off by JOC President Tsunekazu Takeda, was the subject of an investigation by French police into whether the money was connected to votes in the host city election.

But the report by the JOC, released on Thursday, said there was no evidence that the relationship between the Tokyo 2020 bid committee and Tan was “illegal or invalid under the civil laws or criminal laws of Japan, and there is no doubt that it is lawful”.

The JOC also said the payment did not break French laws or violate any IOC ethical guidelines.

“I believe that Tokyo has been cleared of any suspicion of bribery”, said Yoshihisa Hayakawa, a lawyer who led the three-member panel told the Guardian.

The news comes shortly after the recently elected Yuriko Koike governor of Tokyo hit out against the spiralling cost of hosting the 2020 Olympic Games, saying that the plan needs to become sustainable and credible again.

In a video interview with the Wall Street Journal, Koike said: “The budget for Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games is currently increasing.

“I think we need to go back to our original plan of sustainability and credibility, and make a plan once again. This is what I have come to believe.”

Since Tokyo won the bid to host the Games, Zaha Hadid’s initial designs for the main stadium have been rejected due to cost concerns. The Games logo also had to be redesigned due to allegations of plagiarism.

And the former Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe resigned in June 2016 over a scandal relating to public funds for personal use.

The new Governor Koike, appointed at the end of July, has highlighted sustainability as an area of focus for the Games. “Spending money does not necessarily lead to improved result,” she said. “The keyword is the three Rs: reduce reuse and recycle.”

British Cycling, Welcome to Yorkshire and UK Sport have submitted a bid to the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for Yorkshire to host the 2019 UCI Road World Championships.

Announcing the bid formally in the Yorkshire Post, Prime Minister Theresa May commented: “Yorkshire’s beauty was brilliantly shown off to the world by cycling events like the Tour de France and the fantastic Tour de Yorkshire, led by Sir Gary Verity.

“So today I can announce that we have backed a Yorkshire-led bid to bring cycling’s World Road Championships to Britain. This week, British Cycling's bid to hold the event in Yorkshire was delivered to the sport's governing body, the UCI.

“The government will underwrite the event and back it with £24m of investment so that we can get even more people to visit the region. Our backing will include £15 million for cycling infrastructure projects, to encourage even greater participation in the sport and continue the proud legacy that has seen our athletes excel at the Rio Games."

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Sir Gary Verity added: “It would be an absolute honour to host the 2019 UCI Road World Championships.

“Yorkshire has everything a bike race could wish for. We can promise a gruelling but spectacular range of routes, huge crowds and the very warmest of welcomes.

“Yorkshire is ready to embrace the championships. We’ve turned the county yellow once before, and now we want to see it swathed with those coveted rainbow bands.”

The bid promises to not only deliver a world class cycle race but also a £15 million package of nationwide investment to further develop cycling facilities, inspiring the nation to get on bikes.

British Cycling’s president, Bob Howden, said: “The UCI 2019 Road World Championships should find its natural home in Britain and in Yorkshire. Britain has proved that when it gets behind major cycling events, it really does the nation proud. Not only would Yorkshire deliver a cycling event to rival the scenes we saw in 2014 (during the Tour de France Grand Depart), it promises to build on our fantastic legacy of getting more people to discover the joys of life on two wheels.

“Backed by substantial government investment, our bid promises not only to host the biggest UCI Road World Championships in history, it will secure new facilities across the country to ensure that even more people get to experience British Cycling programmes and opportunities to get on their bikes.

“This bid represents a chance to set a new standard for an international sporting event. A country-wide investment in facilities ensures the participation legacy is not an add-on but built into the bid from the start and means the benefits will be felt far beyond the host region and for far longer than the eight days of the championships.

“Working alongside UK Sport and Welcome to Yorkshire, we collectively stand ready to deliver both the event and the lasting legacy that will sit behind it.

“We have the experience of hosting top class world cycling events, we have the structures in place to support a continued boom in interest in cycling, and we’re more ready than ever to truly show the world how passionate Britain is about one of its favourite sports.”