Tour of Norway under threat due to withdrawal of public funds
The Tour of Norway's short-term future has been thrown into doubt after the Norwegian government's proposal to abolish the subsidy scheme that has supported the 2.Pro stage race for almost a decade. The scheme, intended specifically for international cycling races in Norway, reportedly contributed 10 million kroner, covering about half of the race's funding.
"If they don’t reverse this decision, it probably means we’ll have to call it off," race director Roy Hegreberg told TV2. "We’d need new income sources at a level we haven’t seen in the past ten years."
Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery explained that withdrawing the cycling-specific scheme was a move to ensure that all sports are treated equally, however Hegreberg argued that the reasoning does not take into account the very different conditions under which cycling operates, and all the costs involved.
"Other events of this scale usually have large facilities that the state, either directly or through gaming funds, has helped finance. We get no gaming funds, and we also have no income from spectators ... I think they have a poor understanding of what cycling needs."
Recently retired Norwegian pro Alexander Kristoff also weighed in on the future of his home race, which he won overall in 2019, and he holds the record of 11 stage wins.
"This isn’t an event that makes a profit, it just breaks even, so it becomes impossible if we don’t get those millions,” Kristoff said. “With both men’s and women’s races, it’s perhaps the most important cycling event in Norway each year. It would be a huge setback for Norwegian cycling not to be able to hold it. I hope politicians reconsider."
