Share

Sanlam CT Marathon brings economic boost

Cape Town - The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, to be held on Sunday 21 September, could bring great economic benefits to the Mother City by attracting athletes from around the globe and in the process, boosting city tourism.

According to Elana Meyer, in her experience as an athlete who has taken part in a number of world-class marathons around the world, she is always amazed at the number of participants and supporters these events tend to attract.

"One can only imagine the amount of business that goes on in neighbouring restaurants, bars, hotels, gymnasiums and retail stores. There is always a buzz over the few days that these events are held on, and I can only see the massive potential a world-class sports event can hold for it's host city," Meyer told Fin24 on Wednesday.

"We have done it before as a city, and as a nation, most recently with the Soccer World Cup. We have the expertise and infrastructure and have proven our capabilities. There is no reason why we cannot do so again."
 
“The marathon offers extraordinary potential to not only the city, but our country and our continent as a whole. To produce an event eligible for IAAF classification, however, requires significant financial investment, superior logistical organisation and powerful marketing. We believe that a group like ours, with an extensive footprint in 15 African countries, can empower the marathon to meet its obligations partly by offering the richest prize purse for a standard marathon in Africa,” said Yegs Ramiah, chief executive of Sanlam Brand, the sponsor of the event.

Samlam hopes to have the event classified as an IAAF sports event and will assist in placing Cape Town on the global stage alongside other famous marathon cities.
 
Sanlam’s sponsorship has secured for the first time in SA the largest elite field of world-record-holding marathon runners and the largest line-up of charitable beneficiaries.
 
This year’s Boston Marathon boasted 35 660 participants, 70 foreign countries, 1 800 members of the media, 300 media outlets, unparalleled international exposure, and R1.8bn in consumer spending.

The Chicago Marathon, a younger event by 80 years, released its 2013 figures a week ago, showing an economic impact of R2.6bn, with over R1bn flowing directly into the city’s tourism-related industries.
 
“South Africa is yet to host an IAAF-classified sports event like the World Marathon Majors, so the significance that the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is carrying to become a globally recognised sports event is profound,” said councillor Gareth Bloor, mayoral committee member for tourism, events and marketing at the City of Cape Town.

“The marathon will not only bring the city together, it will also allow us to showcase our world-class hotels, restaurants, entertainment and transportation facilities like never before.”
 
The Cape Town Marathon has so far secured more than 4 500 entrants to the main event – the classic Olympian 42.2km marathon.

Participants are from 45 countries, including the US, UK, France, Uganda, Japan, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and Kenya. The total number of participants in the weekend-long festival of running is currently in excess of 12 500.
 
This year’s official charity partners of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon include no fewer than 15 organisations, including Peace and Sport L’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport, a global initiative under the patronage of Prince Albert of Monaco that uses sport to educate young people affected by extreme poverty,recent conflict or a lack of social cohesion.

- Fin24

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.02
-0.4%
Rand - Pound
24.17
-0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.67
-0.4%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.40
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.3%
Platinum
906.17
-1.9%
Palladium
1,006.16
-5.6%
Gold
2,156.13
-0.2%
Silver
24.93
-0.5%
Brent Crude
86.89
+1.8%
Top 40
66,252
0.0%
All Share
72,431
0.0%
Resource 10
53,317
0.0%
Industrial 25
100,473
0.0%
Financial 15
16,622
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders