The Local Organising Committee of the Ibiza 2023 Multisport World Championships has hosted a meeting with local authorities and event organisers to discuss the final organisational details for the event, that is set to welcome thousands of triathletes to the island between April 29 and May 7.
The Sports Councillor of the Consell d’Eivissa, Mr. Salvador Losa, has defined it as a “major” sporting event for the island which will demonstrate “our organisational capacity and which allows us to consolidate our position as a leading sports destination, hosting world championships such as this one, where both the direct and indirect impact will be very important”. Mr. Losa has thanked the involvement and work of the town councils of Eivissa, Santa Eulària and Sant Antoni, the Spanish Triathlon Federation, and the support of World Triathlon “to carry out these World Championships which will be the perfect test to show that Ibiza has the organisational logistics to put our island in the international sporting spotlight”.
Mr. José Hidalgo, president of the Spanish Triathlon Federation has expressed that, pending the official data of registered participants, which already exceed 3,000, the estimated direct impact of the World Championships on the economy of Ibiza could reach EUR 15 million. “We must bear in mind that the triathlete profile is an athlete with high purchasing power who travels with two or three companions; this will have a significant direct impact on the island, to which we must add the media impact for which we will carry out an audit after the World Championships”. The average stay of participants on the island will be between ten and fourteen days.
Mr. Hidalgo has confirmed that the Ibiza 2023 Multisport World Championships has already broken the record of international entries with more than 60 different nationalities. Mr. Hidalgo has named Egypt, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Kuwait, Israel, Mexico, among others. The number of participants registered for an international event has also been surpassed, “which shows the enthusiasm and interest aroused by this sporting event; this confirms that 2023 is the year of sport in Ibiza”.
In addition, the Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO) has decided that this year’s European event will also be held in Ibiza during the Multisport Championships, “which will increase the media coverage of Ibiza”. Mr. Hidalgo also emphasised the sustainable nature of the event and pointed out that a guide is being drafted to inform participants and citizens in general about all the relevant event information: parallel activities, timetables of the races, etc.
The 2023 Multisport World Championships will start on Saturday, 29 April, with the Duathlon Elite, U23, Juniors and Age Group Sprint World Championships, followed the next day, Sunday 30 April, by the Para duathlon, Age Group Standard distance and Mixed Relay Duathlon World Championships, all of them with start and finish planned in Santa Eulalia, a small town located on the eastern coast of Ibiza only 20km away from the airport.
The Aquathlon event will take the stage also in Santa Eulalia on Monday, 1 May.
On Wednesday, 3 May, it will be the turn for the Cross Duathlon World Championships, that will take place in San Antonio, a lively resort set in a beautiful open bay on the west coast of the island, but also less than 15km away from the airport. On Friday, 5 May San Antonio will also welcome participants of the Cross Triathlon World Championships.
Saturday will be the PTO European Tour, and on the final day, Sunday, 7 May, will be the date set on many calendars as it will be the day for the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships and Aquabike Championships, that will take place in the capital of the island Ibiza.