All that is needed for the Standard Bank Ironman African Championship to stay in the Bay for the next three years is for the metro’s council to approve the agreement.Ironman SA announced at the weekend that a memorandum of intent had been reached with the municipality.Ironman SA director Keith Bowler said both parties wanted the best outcome for the athletes and residents.“We are very happy to have reached a common understanding on key issues with Nelson Mandela Bay municipality and this memorandum of intent lays the foundation for a new three-year host-city agreement to ensure the Standard Bank Ironman African Championship returns home to Port Elizabeth,” he said.The memorandum of intent serves as a precursor to a final, binding agreement that must still be ratified at the next council sitting.Bowler said Ironman SA had always accepted the wider role it played in host cities.He also said small business enterprises would also be included in the event.His comment comes after SMME threats to shut down the site on the eve of the event earlier in 2019.“The plan is for an independently run incubator, overseen by Ironman South Africa and Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, to be established.“The purpose of this vehicle will be to transfer eventing skills to small businesses.“Our hope is that these entities will go on to become sustainable service providers in their own right,” Bowler said.A new agreement, once signed, also guarantees the ongoing support to at least 13 local charities that receive annual proceeds from the Ironman 4 the Kidz Charity Trust.More than R17m has been raised by Ironman 4 the Kidz since its inception in 2005.Bowler thanked mayor Mongameli Bobani and acting municipal manager Noxolo Nqwazi for their continued support of the Ironman African Championship.Bobani assured residents that the Ironman championship would take place.“As a city we’ve had a good relationship with Ironman for the past 15 years and . . . will continue for the next 15.“Ironman is a sporting event that Nelson Mandela Bay can never lose,” he said.Bobani said businesses benefited during the championship and many jobs were created in the process.