The Mattoni Olomouc 2022 Half Marathon will start this Saturday, 18 June at 7 p.m. It is not only about sport and individual performance, the whole event also has a positive economic impact for the city and the region. The popular half marathon will bring tens of millions of crowns to the region in initiated consumption or in multiplier sales. Thousands of athletes and their entourages can also be expected on Saturday, when the next edition of this popular race kicks off. “Mattoni 1/2Maraton Olomouc is being run for the twelfth time. We are very happy to be welcomed in Olomouc and to be able to organize the most prestigious race held in Moravia here again,” said Carlo Capalbo, President of the RunCzech Organizing Committee.
The Olomouc Half Marathon will welcome not only runners but also tourists. For example, in 2019, 10,000 runners participated in the race and another 20,000 visitors came to Olomouc. Of these, 52% were local or from the same region, 43% from another region of the Czech Republic and the remaining four percent from abroad. On average, people stayed in the city for 1.2 days and each visitor spent CZK 638 per day. The total amount spent by all visitors is approximately CZK 26 million. “It is always a big event for the city and the region itself. I am glad that I will also be part of this exceptional sporting event, as I am running a family run with my whole family,” said Miroslav Žbánek, Mayor of the Statutory City of Olomouc.
The organisation of the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon also contributed a significant amount to the public budget, where the total income reached CZK 13 million. “Organizing running events is important. It brings millions to the region, moreover, sport and healthy lifestyle are presented during this event,” said Michal Zácha, Deputy Governor of the Olomouc Region. “I am especially grateful for the family run, as the pandemic period had a negative impact on children,” added Deputy Mayor Zácha.
The sports weekend will also include the Moravia Sport Expo. “The whole exhibition area will be alive with sport on Friday and Saturday. We are preparing the biggest sports fair in our country. Friday and Saturday will be mainly about the half marathon, but you can also look forward to a rich accompanying programme for children, who will be able to participate in various competitions and try out a variety of sports presented by local clubs,” said Eva Fuglíčková, director of the Flora Olomouc Exhibition Centre. “RunCzech promotes the development of exercise in children and young people all year round through additional activities and races,” added Tomáš Mirovský, RunCzech race coordinator.
The popularity of marathons and half marathons can also be observed abroad. In Austria, for example, sport generally accounts for six percent (that’s more than 20 billion euros) of Austria’s total economic output. This year, about 40,000 competitors registered for the Vienna City Marathon and a total of about 95,000 people took part in the race with a total expenditure of 25 million euros. The BMW Berlin Marathon is even bigger, with 62,000 runners from 137 countries taking part last September. More than 150,000 people come to Berlin for the marathon weekend and the total tourist expenditure is 60 million euros.
Source: RunCzech
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