Government agencies in Western Australia have confirmed they have been threatened with legal action from the organisers of last year’s disastrous Kimberley ultra marathon, the ABC reports.
Two of the runners suffered serious burns as a bushfire swept across the remote East Kimberley region.
A West Australian parliamentary committee criticised the Hong Kong-based company, RacingThePlanet for failing to minimise the risk to competitors.
It has also identified serious flaws in Tourism Western Australia’s system for assessing risk management plans for sponsored events.
The committee’s chairman said, “While Tourism WA was not responsible for organising the event or even attracting it to the state, it did not perform its identified role in a responsible manner.”
The committee made 15 recommendations, including changes to Tourism WA’s sponsorship arrangements.
Tourism WA told the ABC they have been advised that if RacingThePlanet is sued by the victims, the company may cross-claim against the agencies.
