The Irish team lobbying on Galway's behalf fought hard for the hosting rights, which it believes could be worth €80 million to the economy, the BBC reports. The Irish government has promised €4 million of government support to the event. Another €9 million must be raised from other sources to fund the country's planned Green Dragon race entry.
The 2012 race begins in Alicante, Spain in October 2011, and goes via Cape Town, South Africa.
