Sports marketing company the Amaury Sport Organisation was appointed to handle global broadcast distribution for the Tour Down Under cycling race in Adelaide, Australia.
The Adelaide Advertiser reported that linking up with ASO – which organises the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana cycle races in Europe – would help Events South Australia, the major events division of the South Australian Tourism Commission, hold on to the hosting rights of the event. The Events Queensland organisation is said to be interested in acquiring the hosting rights. “There’s no better relationship to have in cycling than the ASO,” ESA general manager Hitaf Rasheed said.
ESA holds a licence to stage the race in and around Adelaide until 2015. It did not say whether its deal with ASO would extend beyond this year’s race, which will take place from January 15-22.
The Tour Down Under marks the start of the UCI World Tour season, which is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale, the international cycling union.