The city of Zurich needs to cover up for cycling World Championships organizers' debt as the event concluded with a multi-million loss
Cycling
The World Cycling Championships (from 22 to 29 September 2024) in Zurich brought in around 19.7 million euros, but 24.3 million euros were spent on organising the event. A simple calculation shows that there is now a deficit of €4.6 million.
The organization does have some explanations for the bad figures. For example, there was a lot of fuss in Zurich about the roads that had to be closed for the world championships. The resulting controversy is said to have scared off potential sponsors. Furthermore, the income from catering and merchandising was disappointing for multiple reasons - the rainy weather certainly didn't help the situation.
The fatal accident of the 18-year-old Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer in the junior race is also mentioned. Due to this tragic event, several festivities and events were cancelled at the last minute.
The organization has now filed a request for a moratorium and protection from creditors, according to the Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger. The city and the canton of Zurich are probably prepared to take on the debts, in addition to the previous financial support for the World Championships.
"The city government is prepared to support the association financially to make the clean-up possible and to prevent damage to private creditors," Het Nieuwsblad quotes a statement from the city of Zurich. An external investigation will be conducted to determine the amount needed to help the organization.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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