Giro di Sardegna falls by the wayside for 2012

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The Giro di Sardegna will not take place in 2012 due to financial problems. The Sardinian stage race was due to get under way on February 21, but race organisers have revealed that they have been forced to cancel this year’s event as they were unable to secure the necessary budget.

In a statement issued on Saturday morning, the organisers explained that local councils in the area had yet to confirm the level of their financial backing for the 2012 event. This was exacerbated by the fact that some contributions from other sources towards the running of the last three editions of the race had not been received.

“The contributions agreed with the local and provincial administration for 2012 had not yet been decided upon and therefore were not certain,” read the statement. “In light of this, in a year in which the budget is not yet fully clear, it is not appropriate to start without the necessary cover.”

Italian state television RAI was set to broadcast coverage of the race, but the organisers were themselves covering the production costs, something which they claim also took a toll on the event’s finances.

“We wish to highlight that RAI, in taking such a decision, is contributing to the cancellation of the event,” said the organisers, who also noted that RAI had paid “greater attention to less important and less established events.”

It is not clear if the five-day race will return to the calendar in 2013. The race, which was established in 1958, has endured two lengthy hiatuses during its history. The race’s first long interval began in 1984, and a brief attempt to revive it in the mid-1990s petered out after just two seasons.

The Giro di Sardegna returned in 2009, while Peter Sagan took three stages en route to overall victory last season.