Challenge Oman is cancelled
Because of political circumstances in nearby Yemen the scheduled Challenge Oman is now gone, and organizers are scrambling to find a new 3rd venue for this $1,000,000 Triple Crown series, that also features Challenge Dubai and Challenge Bahrain. Dubai took place earlier this year and since then there have been many rumors that Challenge Oman originally scheduled for August 7 might not happen and now it has been confirmed.
Daniela Ryf (SUI) and Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) won Challenge Dubai on February 27 and they are eligible to win $1,000,000 if they manage to win all 3 Triple Crown events, but as of now there are only 2 events on the calendar. The opening Challenge Dubai was marred by a controversy in the men's race as several athletes took an accidental shortcut and that impacted the final race result. Many observers opined that the folks who went wrong should have been disqualified, but the race jury decided to give the athletes in question a 4 minute penalty, and that in the end gave Terenzo Bozzone the victory over Tim Reed. Bozzone was among those who had taken the shortcut, and Reed was not.
“While we are disappointed not to be able to showcase the beauty of Oman to the world, cancelling the race and moving the Triple Crown for 2015 is in the best interests of both the athletes and the local community," said Challenge Family CEO, Zibi Szlufcik. "Special thanks must go out to His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa for his inspirational support of the sport which is taking it to new levels around the world. We are very much looking forward to announcing location of the second race of the Nasser bin Hamad Triple Crown Series shortly.”
When we learn more we will update you.
