The NSW Government has secured another major sporting event for Western Sydney with the 2017 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championships to be held in Penrith. 

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres made the announcement at the event location, Penrith’s International Regatta Centre, which is set to attract triathletes from around Australia and the Asia Pacific region to Western Sydney.

“The NSW Government is committed to bringing a diverse range of events to Western Sydney,” Mr Ayres said.

“The Sydney International Regatta Centre hosted the Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney in November last year, which attracted close to 1,300 visitors from interstate and overseas to the region, with a total visitor spend of more than $1.7 million.

“The elevation of this event to be the Asia Pacific Championships in 2017 is expected to attract more international participants and increase the profile of Western Sydney in the Asia Pacific region.”

The Ironman 70.3 is a triathlon race comprising of a 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run covering a total of 113km – or 70.3 miles

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said Western Sydney is a thriving events destination that offers visitors the opportunity to explore more of what’s on offer in both Sydney and Regional NSW.

“We have a stellar line-up of sporting events in Western Sydney, from the upcoming 2015 Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney, V8 Supercars Sydney 500 and AUS-X Open Supercross to events next year such as the Sydney International Rowing Regatta, Motorworld Sydney, Bledisloe Cup and the NRL Grand Final,” Ms Chipchase said.