BATHURST has been announced as the host of yet another world-wide event, this time the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Cross Country Championships.
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More than 700 competitors from 60 countries are expected to come to Bathurst for event, which will be held in March 2021.
It will be the first time the championships have been held in Australia and one of only a handful of times the event has been conducted in the southern hemisphere.
Athletics Australia chief executive officer Darren Gocher visited Bathurst on Thursday for the announcement and said the city's location helped it stand out.
"It was obviously important to have the event out in a regional centre," he said.
"I think it's a beautiful setting, it's just really conducive to cross country."
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A course has yet to be designed for the championships, however it will be held on and utilise the terrain of Mount Panorama.
Mr Gocher said representatives of the IAAF would send experts to Bathurst to determine a design and likely consult with athletes during the design process.
"It's important to make it a challenging course, taking in as much of the scenery and integrating that into the overall layout," he said.
State member Paul Toole said Bathurst hosting the event was not just good news for the athletes, but would also drive tourism to communities in the Central West.
"We're looking at 700 competitors. By the time they bring their teams and their families as well, we could actually have up to 5000 people here in the city for that long week," he said.
"This is really important, it's a great driver to our local economy and it's the restaurants, the hotels, the shops and everything in this area that is going to be the beneficiaries of that.
"But it's not only the city of Bathurst, it's the region. It's a regional product and this announcement is certainly going to go in the right direction in supporting this area."
The event is anticipated to inject around $2.6 million into the local economy.
Securing the championships means that the sporting calendar for early 2021 will be jam-packed with major events.
The Bathurst 12 Hour is held annually in February and followed by a long list of events, including the Gold Crown Carnival, the Bathurst 6 Hour and the Bathurst Cycling Classic, all of which fall in or around March.
"March is a great time of the year in Bathurst, it is the beginning of autumn, the weather is not too hot and not too cold, so that is probably one of the reasons why the event has come to Bathurst," Cr Hanger said.
"In our calendar we've got something every month of the year, but March of 2021 will be a huge month."
