KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's opportunity to host the next year's marathon swimming World Cup may fall victim to the economic crunch.
Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) has been selected to host a round of the Fina World Cup in Wellington in March.
Despite extensive marketing, SNZ has been unable to secure a naming sponsor while costs have risen considerably with the drop in the New Zealand dollar.
SNZ chief executive Mike Byrne said the event was an outstanding opportunity for the sport and the country, and he was determined to do everything possible to find the money to stage it.
"The prizemoney for the event is in US dollars along with some other costs, that that has increased our budget by more than 20 per cent," Byrne said.
"We've got an outstanding sponsorship package that includes television coverage to more than 30 million homes worldwide.
"We've been out in the marketplace working hard but there have not been any takers. We've had a lot of interest but in the current economic climate none have been able to sign on."
He said the organisation had a "fair bit" of funding in place, and excellent support from Wellington City Council.
"But without that key component from a sponsor, especially now we have additional costs, then we will have to look seriously about whether we can stage the event."
- NZPA
