GRANDE PARTENZA OF THE GIRO D’ITALIA 2014 TO IRELAND Belfast, Armagh and Dublin to host the first three stages

Dublin, 21 February 2013 – Grande Partenza of the 2014 edition of the three-week Giro d’Italia will take place in Ireland. From 10 to 13 May 2014 the island will host three days of racing around the cities of Belfast, Dublin and Armagh.

After the official announcement in Belfast this morning, in the presence of Arlene Foster, Tourism Minister of Northern Ireland, a second official announcement was made in Dublin this afternoon by Michael Ring, the Minister of State for Tourism and Sport for the Republic of Ireland, and the Mayor of Dublin Naoise Ó Muirí.

The project to bring the Giro d’Italia to Ireland is supported by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the City of Belfast, Fáilte Ireland, the City of Dublin, Mediolanum International Fund Ltd and Mediolanum International Life Ltd.

Michele Acquarone, the Director General of RCS Sport, said: “We are delighted to be taking the Grande Partenza of the 2014 Giro d’Italia to Ireland. This is an ambitious project for us for many reasons. Using sport, in particular, cycling, to unite the island, is an idea we find deeply attractive. We recognise that, to do so, logistical perfection will be required on all sides. It will be the first foreign start for any since the implementation of a new UCI regulation prohibiting rest days on three-week stage race until the completion of at least seven days of racing. I would like to express my gratitude to Minister Michael Ring for his support. I’m certain that the Giro d’Italia in the Republic of Ireland will enjoy immense success, and will bring something very special to the history of this great event. I would also like to thank Darach McQuaid, who has promoted and coordinated this endeavor, and the AIGCP (International Association of Professional Cycling Teams) with its chairman, Jonathan Vaughters, the teams themselves, and the CPA (the Association of Professional Cyclists) with its chairman, Gianni Bugno, with whom we are working in order to guarantee the success of this great project.”

The Minister of State for Tourism and Sport for the Republic of Ireland, Michael Ring, said: “We are honoured that this historic event is coming to Ireland. The Grande Partenza of the Giro in Ireland will showcase the entire country, north and south, before a global television audience. This government has committed itself to developing event-based tourism, and the Giro d’Italia in Ireland is an excellent example of how serious we take this commitment.”

The Mayor of Dublin, Naoise Ó Muirí, said: “It is wonderful to be able to confirm that Dublin will host a stage of the 2014 Giro d’Italia. Dublin is the spiritual home of ,

one of the greats of world cycling and the winner of the 1987 Giro d’Italia, and it is an suitable cradle for the new generation of cyclists who will be at the start of the 2014 Giro d’Italia. Our tradition of hosting major international events therefore continues, after the Europa League final in 2011 and the Heineken Cup final this year.”

Grande Partenza in Ireland will be the Giro‘s eleventh foreign start, after San Marino (1965), Montecarlo (1966), Belgium (1973), Vatican City (1974), Greece (1996), (1998), the (2002), Belgium (2006), the Netherlands (2010) and Denmark (2012).

The interviews of this morning Belfast presentation are available on the ftp site here in the Giro folder:

FTP: ftp.century-tv.co.uk Username: centurytv Password: century5678

The interviewees are: • Michele Acquarone – Managing Director RCS Sport • Arlene Foster – Northern Ireland Minister for Tourism • Darach McQuaid - Partner, Shadetree Sports • Stephen Roche – Former Giro d'Italia winner • Alan Clarke – CEO Northern Ireland Tourist Board

Info:

SHIFT Active Media Stefano Diciatteo

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