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ICFRC: Bringing International Sports Competitions to Our Community; Diplomacy, Logistics, and Challenges

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Within the past 5 years, the Iowa City/Coralville area has become a hub of international sporting events. Wrestling has been on of the biggest draws. In 2012, the U.S. Wrestling Olympic Team Trials held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena smashed the attendance record with 57,766 people in attendance. The 2016 Olympic Team Trials saw similar success setting the 2nd place attendance record. The success of the Olympic Team Trials enabled Iowa City to host the 2018 Wrestling World Cup this past April, drawing competitors and spectators from around the world. Outside of wrestling, Iowa City/ Coralville put on the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup every year. This international cycling competition is put on in collaboration with the same organization that puts on the Tour de France. Josh Schamberger has been at the center of it all.

Josh has served as President/CEO of the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for the past 17 years. In this capacity he oversees the destination marketing & community betterment efforts for the greater Iowa City/Coralville area. He has been recognized twice by the Upper Midwest CVB Association for Bureau Innovation, recognized every year since 2004 by the Corridor Business Journal as one of the 20 most influential corridor leaders, and by the Iowa City Press Citizen as the 2001-2010 Person of the Decade. Josh grew up in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Florida and San Diego. He has lived in Iowa since October of 1996.

For more information on the Foreign Relations Council visit their website at www.icfrc.org.

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