Southern California based endurance sports organizer Spectrum Sports Management has announced the formation of the California Coalition of Endurance Sports (CACES).
Aiming to include endurance sports organizations up and down the state, Spectrum notes that CACES… ‘has come together to work with state and county representatives in the creation of a roadmap to resume successful participant events, large and small, in a safe and responsible way for all concerned.’
The coalition’s intention is to gather members from the endurance sports world, so that they can speak with a united voice as one cohesive business group. This is seen to be imperative to the health and economic vitality of the events, participants and communities.
The coalition’s goals:
- Reclassify endurance events as participant events (not sports, which is a broad umbrella classification that captures professional as well as collegiate sports).
- Open up all endurance/participant events in a safe manner within agreed upon COVID safety standards.
- Acceptance of COVID standards of safety and social distancing as created by the industry sector, and which is currently implemented in other states.
“Our professional endurance events provide individuals the opportunity for both physical and mental health and growth, and also contribute to the economic well-being of our local, host communities,” said coalition Co-Founder and Spectrum Sports Management CEO Mike Bone.
“Since the Coronavirus has hit the world, physical and mental health, as well as supporting small businesses in each of our communities, is more important than ever. As an industry we need to come together to approach regional government and ultimately state government to understand the value of our industry.”
The participant endurance industry also includes charity events, which generate tens of millions of dollars for California organizations from large national events to local, smaller, community events and many more. The industry reportedly has over 2.5 million event participants a year, generating over US$65 million in charitable revenue.
“Organized endurance sports are at a critical juncture in California,” said coalition Co-Founder and Chief Running Officer of San Diego Running Co, Eric Marenburg. “We know our events can be easily re-introduced in a safe environment with Covid preventative measures in place.
“We hope the state can hear our pleas so we can continue to service countless endurance participants every year that generate millions in charitable donations, all while supporting thousands of jobs.”
‘The participant endurance industry employs over 100,000 people throughout California including contractor, tech companies, artists, traffic control and security, among others. The events fill hotels, restaurants and businesses in host cities, and Visitor Bureau’s across California plan their annual marketing and budgets around many of these special events.’
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