Copenhagen has confirmed its status as a city worth watching following a successful bid to host the start of the Tour de France in 2021. The best cycling city in the world will be hosting three stages of the greatest cycling race in the world in an event that draws 12 million roadside spectators overall each year and is known as one of the best attended sporting events on the planet. And that’s not all – next year sees the UEFA host some of its Euro 2020 matches in the city. It is all cementing Copenhagen’s reputation as a city with significant pull on the world sporting stage.

Capturing the world’s attention

According to the Tour de France’s official statistics, 3.5 billion people in 190 countries tune in each year to watch the elite bike race. The opening stage for 2021, known as the Grand Départ, will feature a 13 km time trial in central Copenhagen, before leading to a second stage of 190 km, running from Roskilde to Nyborg across the spectacular Great Belt Bridge. The third stage will be a 170 km route from Vejle to Sønderborg. Over 900,000 spectators are expected to attend the three Danish stages.

The world’s best city for cycling

Race director Christian Prudhomme commented:
“Of course the Tour de France, with the best professional sports cyclists in the world, had to visit Denmark and Copenhagen – the best country and the city in the world for everyday cycling. The Grand Départ Copenhague – Danemark 2021 is the ‘rendez-vous’ to celebrate the mutual inspiration between every cycling and professional cycling.”

Hosting the world’s third largest sporting event

European football fans will also get a taste of Copenhagen next summer, when the city’s central Telia Parken Stadium hosts four key UEFA EURO 2020 matches. The event is being held in 12 different European countries as the tournament celebrates its 60th anniversary. It is expected that for the four games held in Copenhagen in June 2020, an estimated 80,000 sports tourists will visit the city, and spectators in over 100 countries will view the games on TV, throwing another spotlight on Copenhagen. After the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games, the UEFA championships are the world’s third largest sports event.

These two international sporting events join a host of sporting events that have been awarded to Denmark, including the IHF World Handball Championships in 2019, the World Cross Country Championships in 2019, and the Canoe Marathon World Championships, due to take place in 2023.