Challenge Family Announces "The Championship 2017" Event

Challenge Family today announced that it is partnering with x-bionic sphere, a sports complex in Samorin, Slovakia, to introduce “The Championship 2017.” The half-iron distance race will take place on June 3, 2017 at the x-bionic sphere.

The Championship will promise a minimum of €150,000 professional prize purse and will qualify professional athletes based on their finishes at other top triathlons and series around the world.

Pros who finish in the top five at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, or earn a top-three finish in the 2016 World Triathlon Series end-of-season rankings, 2016 ITU Long Distance Championship, 2016 Ironman World Championship or 2016 Ironman 70.3 World Championship will receive an invite to The Championship 2017. Spots will also be available at other Challenge Family events. Those who qualify outside of the Challenge Series will be required to validate at a Challenge Family event within the qualifying period (starting with Challenge Fuerteventura and ending with Challenge Remini 2017).

“X-bionic sphere may be a young venue, however everyone who has visited has been astonished by its size and remarkable facilities,” said x-bionic sphere CEO Jan Masek in the press release. “Covering a total area of 1,000,000 square meters, x-bionic sphere’s facilities are unparalleled anywhere in the world, catering for professional athletes and teams from 27 Olympic sports disciplines, including triathlon.”

“At Challenge Family we’re driven by the same thing that drives our athletes: the passion to push limits, to perform at our best and to enjoy what we do in style. The Championship embodies this and it is our goal to set the new standard in triathlon,’ said Zibi Szlufcik, the CEO of Challenge Family. “A world-class team has been assembled to deliver The Championship and, true to our commitment to inclusiveness, we are thrilled to bring together all Challenge Family events into our worldwide qualifying system and celebrate the success of Challenge Family professional and age group athletes from all four corners of the globe.”

Age-group athletes will have the opportunity to qualify with a top five age-group finish at any Challenge Family event worldwide during the qualification period. Top three teams in the male, female and mixed categories in relay events will qualify for The Championship at Challenge Family events.

Three hundred loyalty slots will be available to any age-group athlete who participates in at least four Challenge Family events within the qualification period. Loyalty spots are awarded on a first-come-first-served basis for athletes who meet the minimum participation criteria. Loyalty slots are not dependent on an athlete’s race time or finish position at any of the minimum four Challenge Family events.

The Championship is made up of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike and a 13.1-mile run. The 2017 and 2019 editions of The Championship will be held at x-bionic sphere, with the 2018 host city to be announced shortly.

Learn more at Thechampionship2017.com.