Sir Chris Hoy Named Official Ambassador For The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships
March 21, 2022
Organisers of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships marked 500 days to go to the inaugural event by announcing that famed-Scottish cyclist Sir Chris Hoy will serve as an official ambassador.
The 11-time UCI World Champion and six-time Olympic gold medallist will support the 11-day event, which will combine the 13 existing UCI World Championships into a first-of-its-kind mega-event, taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland from 3-13 August 2023.
Chris Hoy celebrated today’s milestone by visiting the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow, which is one of five Glasgow host venues of the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds, to launch Champions of the Worlds, a new initiative inviting enthusiasts from cycling clubs and communities across Scotland to become local representatives for the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds. Ensuring local cycling communities are involved every step of the way, the “Champions” will receive exclusive announcements, invites to Championship events, opportunities to lead volunteer efforts and much more.
Former BMX Racing UCI World Champion and fellow event ambassador Shanaze Reade joined Chris Hoy to meet with the first “Champions”, representing three organisations from across Glasgow – Soul Riders, Free Wheel North and Drumchapel Cycle Hub.
Other representatives from cycling clubs and communities wanting to become one of the Champions of the Worlds can get more information at www.cyclingworldchamps.com/champions
Sir Chris Hoy said:
“It is an honour to become an ambassador for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and I’m proud that such an historic event will be held for the very first time in Glasgow and across my home country of Scotland. Not only will it be the biggest cycling event ever seen, it is a unique opportunity to unite the global cycling family and to showcase the incredible breadth of our sport.
“Having competed in front of my home crowd many times, I know how much the people of Glasgow and Scotland will get behind the Championships. I’m delighted to launch the Champions of the Worlds initiative today and meet the first three Champions to hear about the brilliant work they do to promote cycling and how they’re getting behind the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. I’d urge all cycling enthusiasts in Scotland and beyond to register to support the Championships and help is delivering something truly ground breaking in August 2023.”
The Scottish Government’s Culture Secretary, Angus Robertson, said:
“Today is an important milestone as we start the countdown to the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds which will take place in Glasgow and across Scotland next year from 3 August. This is the biggest cycling event ever held and I’m incredibly excited about Scotland having the opportunity to host and deliver this world-class event.
“It’s also great to have someone of Sir Chris Hoy’s standing as an official ambassador for an event I know is going to have such a positive impact on our participation in sport as a nation as well as our individual well-being.
“There will be opportunities for everyone to get involved especially enthusiasts from cycling clubs and communities across Scotland who can become local representatives for the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds as part of the Champions of the World initiative.”
Creating the biggest cycling event ever held, the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships will welcome more than 8,000 amateur and elite cyclists from over 120 countries with more than 190 UCI World Champions crowned.
The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships will feature 13 UCI World Championships including BMX Freestyle Flatland; BMX Freestyle Park; BMX Racing; Gran Fondo; Indoor Cycling; Mountain Bike Cross-country; Mountain Bike Downhill; Mountain Bike Marathon; Para-cycling Road; Para-cycling Track; Road; Track; Trials.
Glasgow will provide five venues for the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds, with Dumfries & Galloway (para-cycling road) and Stirling (time trial) also hosting events across Scotland. Additional venues and locations will be confirmed in the coming months to ensure a pan-Scotland delivery and to capture the imagination of the entire country.
More than one million spectators are expected to attend the Championships throughout Scotland, with a global TV audience of around one billion making it one of the Top 10 watched sporting events on the planet.
The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships were confirmed for Glasgow and across Scotland as a result of significant previous experience hosting high-profile sporting events. Glasgow and Scotland have become a sporting hotspot by welcoming unforgettable competitions such as UEFA EURO 2020 matches, the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the multi-sport Glasgow 2018 European Championships as well as cultural events including the world-renowned Edinburgh Festivals.
Since the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, participation sessions at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome have experienced positive uptake and cycling numbers have risen across Scotland. It is hoped the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships can continue the increase of pedal power in Scotland, inspiring the next generation of riders across a variety of cycling disciplines.
The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships are being delivered in collaboration between the UCI, Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, UK Sport, British Cycling, Glasgow Life and VisitScotland. The partnership aims to create a blueprint for future editions by ensuring the inaugural event is authentic, innovative and distinctive.
The UCI, cycling’s world governing body, currently stages annual World Championships in each of its disciplines across the year in different host cities around the world. The UCI Cycling World Championships will bring these championships together every four years, the year prior to the Olympics, starting with the inaugural event in 2023.