Sports festival ‘set to rival airshow’

A NEW major event featuring various sports over three days in Geelong could grow as big as Avalon Airshow, according to Mayor John Mitchell.
He said Geelong Multi Sport Festival was “well-positioned” to become the city’s next “hallmark event”.
Cr Mitchell announced this week that Geelong had secured the festival for three years, with the first event from February 18 to 20.
The festival would run on Geelong’s waterfront with sports and activities catering for professional and amateur competitors.
A statement from City Hall said an Olympic-distance triathlon would be the festival “centrepiece”, while the world’s best triathletes would also compete in an Australian Sprint Distance Championships.
Other events would include a fun run, an ocean swim, cycling, basketball and volleyball exhibitions and a Superkidz Triathlon.
“This will be like no event Geelong has ever seen – it’s a fabulous coup for Geelong,” Cr Mitchell said.
Festival organiser USM Events said it would produce a one-hour television show on the event for a “free-to-air network”.
USM would model the event on its Noosa and Mooloolaba triathlon multi-sport festivals.