The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that the 2022 edition of the UCI Road World Championships has been awarded to the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, in Australia.
It will be the second time the discipline’s UCI World Championships are organised in Oceania, after those in Melbourne and Geelong in 2010. The city of Wollongong (population of 290,000) is situated 100km south-west of Sydney, at the foot of Mount Keira on the South Coast. The population of New South Wales is over 7.8 million, making it Australia's most populous state.
This announcement follows that made on September 27 detailing a record number of World Championships awarded by the UCI Management Committee during its meeting in Innsbruck (Austria). The UCI Road Worlds awarded for the coming years are:
2019 UCI Road World Championships: Yorkshire (Great Britain),
2020 UCI Road World Championships: Cantons of Vaud and Valais* (Switzerland),
2021 UCI Road World Championships: Flanders region (Belgium),
2022 UCI Road World Championships: Wollongong (Australia),
2024 UCI Road World Championships: German-speaking region of Switzerland*.
UCI President David Lappartient declared: “In 2022, our leading annual event will again take place outside Europe after five editions organised on the continent. This is particularly pleasing as it shows that our UCI Road World Championships have become truly universal, not only as far as participation goes, but also when it comes to their location. This global trend will be further strengthened when they are held in Africa in 2025.
“When the 2023 UCI Worlds for road cycling – which for the first time will bring together multiple disciplines – are awarded, in principle by the next Management Committee meeting at the latest, we will know where all our UCI Road World Championships will be taking place during the 2020-2024 Olympic cycle. This will enable optimal planning by National Federations and their riders for these important fixtures.
“I am confident that Wollongong will organise a very high-quality event, in a region which has become known as true cycling territory.”
*The name of the city will be announced at a later date.