Ironman worth the cost?

Castanet Staff - Aug 18, 2010 / 5:00 pm
The Ironman Canada race will be held in Penticton for at least the next five years. The deal between the city and Ironman Canada was announced earlier this week at Penticton City Council. Penticton CAO Dennis Back breaks down the cost. "It's a five year agreement and the in-kind contribution is the same as what we have provided in previous years as approved ion the 2010 budget," says Back. "The promotional fee for this year is $30,000 and it rises to $45,000, $60,000 and then to $75,000 and it stays at $75,000 for the fourth and fifth year of that agreement." There's also $106,000 of in-kind support that'll be provided by the city. Councillor Judy Sentes says in exchange, the city is receiving advertising opportunities... "In addition to being able to have a commercial produced that will highlight the points of Penticton that we would like highlighted, there will also be access to Ironman's database that is of significant consequence. They can also put advertising in the athlete's bags," says Sentes.

Councillor Dan Albas was the lone voice opposed to the agreement. "I believe that it was a committee response originally and I am not supportive of anything at this time that puts the taxpayer at risk. I think that we already do a lot of good things with Ironman and I hope we continue to do good things with Ironman," says Albas. If the promotional fees cannot be paid by the business community, the taxpayers will be on the hook. Penticton's Ironman Canada Race is Sunday August 29th.