of the largest building companies in South Africa was awarded the contract. Work was completed in June 1986. Bishop Mansuet Biyase consecrated the new church on 31 August 1986. The patron saint of the church and the parish is St. Francis of Assisi. Attached to the church are a sacristy, a small kitchen and a caretaker's flat. In 1992, another building was added. It contains a meeting room and several classrooms for catechism children. The St. Francis Parish in Richards Bay had about 600 Catholics in 1992. All the additional buildings were constructed and paid for by Father Pious Paul from a legacy left to him. He gave to the Richards Bay Parish a memorial for the benefit of all Catholics in Zululand. After Father Pious several priests ran the parish namely Fathers Alousios, Eugene, Hemmie, Peter Blue, Max and the incumbent Father Bheki. Sports Events 2006/7/8 Richards Bay BG Triathlon World Cup Richards Bay hosted the ITU World Cup. ITU Triathlon World Cup was a series of triathlon races organised by the International Triathlon Union (ITU) for elite-level triathletes. There were twelve races held in twelve countries, each held over a distance of 1500 m swim, 40 km cycle, 10 km run (an Olympic-distance triathlon). Alongside a prize purse, points were awarded at each race contributing towards the overall World Cup for which an additional prize purse was awarded. The 2008 World Cup was sponsored by BG Group. The 2008 World Cup series marked the final year of this race and championship format as the ITU shifted its focus to developing the World Championship Series. 2010 FIFA World Cup Due to its regional airport, its proximity to Durban (3-hour drive) and its status as the gateway to Zululand, Richards Bay was identified as a possible training base for the World Cup. A small stadium aimed at achieving FIFA accreditation was developed. In late 2009, a Ghana delegation visited the town, raising speculation that the Ghana football team could base themselves in the town. In May 2010, it was announced that the Nigeria football team would move their base to Richards Bay for the duration of the World Cup. 2011 South African Surfski Championships Zululand Kayak Club, Richards Bay, was nominated by Kwazulu Natal Canoe Union (KNCU) to host the yearly surf ski championship for single and double surf ski formats. This was achieved on 17 and 18 September 2011.