Must safeguard tourism drawcard

PORT Elizabeth’s association with Ironman as host city for the African championship, and next year’s 70.3 world version, is an invaluable one.

The event attracts incredible coverage, which in turn showcases the city.

Visitors from afar pour in and bring foreign currency to our shores, providing a notable fillip to the hospitality sector.

Moreover, the annual hosting of the ultra-triathlon helps to build on the Bay’s aim to become a premier sports tourism destination.

And why not? We have an enviable climate, our locations are beyond compare, and city hotels and restaurants offer some of the finest dining and accommodation money can buy.

Unfortunately, some of that marvellous gloss has been scrubbed off with the reported attacks on athletes, before and after this year’s Ironman.

The latest known incident occurred on Tuesday when a foreign man was knocked out by a gang which targeted him while he was cycling the event route near Schoenmakerskop. He was robbed of his cellphone and wallet.

It followed two attacks on March 24 when a former world champ, Belgian Frederik van Lierde, and visitor Leon Killian were assaulted and robbed during separate training rides on Victoria Drive.

Assurances were given by authorities at the time that this stretch of road would receive bolstered policing.

Presumably that additional safeguard has been removed with the completion of Ironman, which is a travesty.

The route is incredibly popular with local riders and clearly there is no reason for security concerns to be abandoned at this point.

Public safety aside, there is a great deal at stake.

Common thugs cannot be allowed to jeopardise what this metro is trying to build.

For now, the attacks mercifully have been without fatality.

Do we wait for a different outcome before responding?