Mandurah could be the backdrop for the 2022 Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships, after councillors approved a bid to host the international event last week.
At a council meeting on January 28, City of Mandurah councillors voted in favour of applying to be the next destination for the championships, in line with the City's 2019-2023 Events Strategy.
The event would run from Wednesday to Friday during late October or early November in 2022, when the sea breeze is more predictable for downwind conditions.
An opening ceremony would be held on the Tuesday and a closing ceremony on the Friday or Saturday evening of the same week.
Competitors would set off from Dawesville Cut towards the ocean and head north, ending at the Mandurah Surf Life Saving Club in San Remo - a total racing distance of 18-20 kilometres.
The recommendation to put in the bid was met with unanimous support from councillors.
This will highlight Mandurah internationally on a world map - if our waterways, foreshores and oceans can be highlighted on a global scale, then we've already won.
- Cr Jenny Green
Cr Peter Rogers was quick to move the recommendation, throwing his "full support" behind the event.
"We've been doing stellar work as a city in attracting sports events and competitions to Mandurah as a part of our economic development strategy," he said.
Hosting the event would put Mandurah in good company, with previous championships held in Tahiti and France and future events scheduled for Portugal in 2020 and Canary Islands in 2021.
Cr Jenny Green said she was "very enthusiastic" about the prospect of hosting a world championship event.
"This will highlight Mandurah internationally on a world map - if our waterways, foreshores and oceans can be highlighted on a global scale, then we've already won," she said.
In an interview with the Mandurah Mail after the council meeting, Mandurah mayor Rhys Williams said the championships would add to a long list of successful events hosted by the City.
"For a few years now, we've been really focused on not just delivering our own events but attracting events into the City," he said.
"We've been doing that because it's a great way to be able to leverage off what we have here - our natural beauty and our great sporting facilities - and put on great, nationally-significant, sporting events.
"Obviously the best example of that recently was the Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games but we've also recently hosted the 2019 Australian Outrigger Canoe Racing Association championships, Swimming Australia competitions and national table tennis championships."
Based on previous years, the event will attract around 440 local and international competitors from canoe sprint and marathon racing, as well as 50 officials and hundreds of spectators.
Should Mandurah be successful, the total cost required to host the event is $50,000 which would need to be allocated in the City's 2022/23 budget.
The investment is estimated to generate over $2.1 million of direct spend into the local economy.
"For this particular event, for every dollar we invest, we're likely to get $42 spent back in our local economy - you can't buy that type of investment," Mr Williams said.
"It's hundreds, possibly thousands, of people coming into our city so it's our chance to show it off.
"We've got our fingers crossed that Mandurah is the place that is chosen and we should know within the next six months."
