Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has been awarded hosting rights to the 2028 Road World Championships (RWC) and the 2029 Track World Championships (TWC) by world cycling’s UCI.
The 2028 edition will be the second time a city in the Middle East has staged the RWC after the 2016 edition in Doha, Qatar. While a precise date for the 2028 edition has not been announced, the 2016 edition was delayed until October to avoid extreme temperatures in the region.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The 2023 RWC starts tomorrow (August 5) and runs through August 13 in Glasgow, Scotland as part of UCI’s inaugural multi-discipline Cycling World Championships.
UCI president David Lappartient said: “Abu Dhabi possesses extensive experience hosting major sports events and is constantly extending and upgrading its cycling infrastructure.
“After the highly successful UCI Urban Cycling World Championships 2022, I am convinced that this UCI Bike City will also be an excellent host of the world’s best road cyclists in 2028 and track cyclists in 2029.”
The awarding of the RWC and TWC to Abu Dhabi follows the UCI’s general congress which saw eight countries in four continents chosen to stage 14 events through 2029.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataThe 2024 RWC will take place in Zurich, Switzerland, while the 2025 edition will be held in Rwanda, Africa. Montreal, Canada, and Haute-Savoie, France will stage the event in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
Saudi Arabia’s Alula, meanwhile, will host the Gravel World Championships in 2028, while its capital Riyadh will host the 2025 and 2026 Urban Cycling Worlds.
The second edition of the Gravel World Championships will take place in Veneto in October, with Flemish Brabant (2024), Nice (2025), Nannup (2026), and Haute Savoie (2027).
The UCI said the ongoing 2023 Cycling World Championships, meanwhile, will receive “an unprecedented level of television production and distribution,” with the competition combining 13 existing UCI World Championships into one event across 11 days, for the first time.
Broadcast rights for the inaugural edition of the event are being distributed by Eurovision Sport, a division of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), across the continent, and by international sports marketing agency IMG in the rest of the world. Together they have secured coverage in more than 120 countries.
Eurovision Sport, as the appointed host broadcaster, will produce record television coverage – an estimated 240 hours of live content and 30 hours of news and highlights.
IMG's deal to distribute UCI rights outside Europe runs until the end of 2024.
