Nelson Mandela Bay has been shortlisted with two other global cities to host the 2018 Ironman 70.3 World Championship triathlon.
This was announced in a media statement out of Florida in the USA on Friday. The other two competing cities are Budapest in Hungary and Nice in France.
Ironman CEO, Andrew Messick, said the all three cities are suited to host this pinnacle event.
"We have been extremely pleased with the global rotation of the event and providing our athletes with an exceptional world-class race in fantastic locations. Nice, Budapest and Port Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela Bay are all extraordinary hosts to current IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races - providing beautiful and challenging courses and world-class hospitality for our athletes and families. Each city is well suited to host this pinnacle event."
The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship began an annual global rotation in 2014 in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada. The 2015 race was held in Europe for the first time, in Zell am See-Kaprun, SalzburgerLand, Austria, the statement said.
"This September, the 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship shifts to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time - in Queensland, Australia's Sunshine Coast with athletes representing over 70 countries and ranging in age from 18 to 75-plus. In 2017, the championship event moves to Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA where it will be a two-day event for the first time. Beginning in July 2017, athletes from around the world will earn the right to compete in the 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship by qualifying at any of the more than 100 IRONMAN 70.3 events globally".
Meanwhile, according to Michael Flanagan of Ironman South Africa, if successful some 4000 competitors from around the world will descend on Nelson Mandela Bay for the two-day event.
"It's a feather in the cap of the city to be one of the shortlisted cities next to Nice and Budapest. It's one of the events that's sought after because qualification has to take place to participate and that's what makes it one of the iconic and special events on the Ironman calendar," said Flanagan.
He said that an inspection team will visit the three proposed sites in May with a final decision being made in June.
