Sprint And Team Championships Added To The 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series
The higher profile of the Team Triathlon World Championships will bolster the ITU's bid to have the event included on the Olympic Games programme for Rio 2016.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
In an effort to get the Team Triathlon format into the Olympics, ITU has integrated its Sprint Triathlon and Team Triathlon World Championships into the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series for 2011.
For Immediate Release:
Vancouver, Canada (27 April 2011) – The International Triathlon Union (ITU) today announced that the ITU Sprint Triathlon World Championships and the ITU Team Triathlon World Championships will be integrated into the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series for the 2011 season. Both events are set to take place in Lausanne, Switzerland on August 20-21. Now part of the Dextro Energy Triathlon Series, the races will feature live broadcasts as well as have the same branding and look as every other event in the series.
The higher profile of the Team Triathlon World Championships will bolster the ITU’s bid to have the event included on the Olympic Games programme for Rio 2016.
Athletes will have the opportunity to earn points in the Sprint World Championships towards their overall Dextro Energy Triathlon Series rankings, which determine the ITU World Champions. However, neither event will have Olympic qualifying points on offer.
The Sprint World Championships (half the Olympic distance at 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) will feature a $100,000 USD prize purse and is still set to go on Saturday 20 August in Lausanne.
The Team Triathlon World Championships will have $50,000 USD up for grabs and will be staged on Sunday 21 August also in Lausanne. Countries will battle to be the top triathlon nation as teams consist of two men and two women, each completing a super sprint triathlon of 275m swim, 6km bike and 1.5km run.
Marisol Casado, ITU President and IOC Member, said:
“We are extremely pleased to raise our Team and Sprint Championships into the premier triathlon series in the world. This is another important step forward in our dream to have Team Triathlon included on the Olympic Games programme. Both the Sprint and Team Relay are exciting formats of triathlon and are sure to attract fresh interest in the sport.”
Last year Switzerland thrilled the home crowds by winning its second straight Team Triathlon World Championship. Sweden’s Lisa Norden and Jonathan Brownlee of Great Britain were crowned the inaugural ITU Sprint Triathlon World Champions.
###
About the International Triathlon Union:
The International Triathlon Union is the world governing body for the Olympic sport of Triathlon and all related MultiSport disciplines: Duathlon, Aquathlon and Winter Triathlon. ITU was founded in 1989 at the first ITU Congress in Avignon, France and has maintained its headquarters in Vancouver, Canada since then. It now has over 120 affiliated National Federations around the world and is the youngest International Federation in the Olympics. Triathlon was awarded Olympic status in 1994. ITU is proudly committed to supporting the development of the sport worldwide through strong relationships with continental and national federations, working with its partners to offer a balanced sport development programme from grassroots to a high-performance level. For more information: www.triathlon.org