World
Triathlon and the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) announced today a
new partnership that will recognise the PTO Tour as the official World
Championship Tour of long distance triathlon, using the ‘made for TV’ 100km
distance.
The
ground-breaking agreement will see the two organisations working closely to
create a compelling season-long narrative for the world’s leading triathletes,
as the long distance equivalent of World Triathlon’s successful World Triathlon
Championship Series, that will include championship racing opportunities for
both Professionals and Age Groupers.
The key
points of the new partnership include:
1) A
points-based competition with Professional men’s and women’s World Championship
titles awarded at the end of a season-long tour, as well as the planned
creation of up to five Continental Championships at one-off races, including:
the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
2) All
events as non-drafting over the 100km distance (2km Swim, 80km Bike, 18km Run)
and operating under World Triathlon rules.
3)
Qualification for the Age Group Championships to follow the existing World
Triathlon process of National Federations’ selection, with Age Groupers
eligible to race in each of the six Championship events, including World and
the five Continental Championships.[1]
4) World
Triathlon working together with the PTO and its membership on a number of
services, including Anti-Doping, Competition Jury appeals, Safeguarding and
Manipulation of sport competition guidelines, Technical support with a
Technical Delegate from World Triathlon at all events and an extensive Marketing
and Commercial collaboration between both organisations.
Commenting
on the partnership, World Triathlon President, Marisol Casado, said: “Today
marks a significant milestone as World Triathlon proudly announces this
ground-breaking agreement with the PTO. This collaboration signifies a powerful
alliance that underscores our shared commitment to elevating the sport of
triathlon to new heights. By joining forces, we harness the collective passion,
expertise and dedication of both organisations to drive positive change and
innovation within the triathlon community. Together, we have the opportunity to
create a more inclusive, fair, competitive and sustainable landscape for
athletes, fans and stakeholders alike. This partnership exemplifies the immense
potential that emerges when organisations align their visions and resources,
ultimately fostering a thriving environment for the sport we all cherish. As we
embark on this journey together, we are resolute in our belief that by working
hand in hand, we can steer triathlon towards a brighter, more exciting future.”
PTO
Executive Chairman, Chris Kermode, who has previously held a number of
leadership positions in tennis, rising to the role of Executive Chairman and
President of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), said: “When new
formats and organisations emerge in sport, they often have the unintended
impact of fragmenting the very sport they aim to promote. In contrast, by
uniting together the professional athlete body of the PTO with the international
federation of World Triathlon, this partnership has the opportunity to unite
the sport under the common goal of growing triathlon – which is essential for
the sport to become mainstream.”
PTO CEO,
Sam Renouf, himself a former international triathlete and then senior executive
at The Active Network, a global leader in growing sports participation
businesses, added: “Given the importance of the Olympics and short course
racing on the traditional federation funding model, long distance triathlon has
largely been left to the ‘private sector’ of for-profit promoters; leading to a
fragmented and uncoordinated calendar for both athletes and fans. In partnering
together to recognise the PTO Tour as the official tour of long distance
triathlon, the PTO and World Triathlon are both elevating long distance
triathlon and bringing this part of the sport back into the fold of the World
Triathlon family.”
“On the
Age Group side, we jointly recognise the uniqueness in triathlon that athletes
of any age can strive for and qualify to represent their country in an
officially recognised World Championship. The inclusion of Age Group
Championship racing throughout the PTO Tour will provide ‘bucket list’ racing
opportunities for the global Age Group community, much as the World Marathon
Majors have united the global running community.”
Current
PTO Athlete Board member and PTO World #6, Paula Findlay, highlighted the
importance of the agreement from an athlete perspective:
“As an
athlete who’s represented their country at both the Olympics and World
Triathlon Championship Series, if you compete and win at the pinnacle of your
sport, you want that achievement to be recognised as it is at other distances
in triathlon and in all other sports – by calling yourself a world champion. Through
the eyes of the professional athletes who set up and co-own the PTO, it is a
significant step forward.”
This
partnership is not only focused on the launch a new tour of long distance in
triathlon, but also on a series of services that World Triathlon and the PTO
will be working on together to make the events fairer, more competitive and
sustainable. This includes a newly expanded anti-doping program for long
distance racing, further details of which will be announced soon.
The
Competition Jury appeals will be delivered through the World Triathlon system,
including going to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) when needed. World
Triathlon will also provide an extensive athlete support system and will
implement the guidelines on Safeguarding as well as technical support,
including a World Triathlon Technical Delegate on each stop of the new tour.
Plus marketing and commercial collaborations between the organisations.
Former
PTO Athlete Board member and current IOC Athletes’ Commission member, Alistair
Brownlee, who has competed on the PTO Tour over the last two seasons,
underlined the importance of the partnership in bringing the sport together to
move forward:
“I want
to see more people watching top level long distance triathlon, being inspired
by seeing the top athletes racing. It’s crucial that the PTO Tour succeeds and
I’m convinced that the PTO Tour’s success is triathlon’s success. It’s tough to
create something new but ultimately it will benefit every triathlete, so having
the PTO join forces with World Triathlon to also add important support services
and work more closely together keeps things moving in the right direction.”
Full
details of the newly expanded PTO Tour calendar will be announced this October,
including locations, athletes and event details for both the Professional and
Age Group championship events.
[1]
Although the Professional World Championship title will be awarded through a
season-long points competition, the Age Group title will be determined at a
single race which will rotate between PTO Tour locations and provide an
opportunity for amateur athletes around the world to strive towards world
championship status. In recognition of
the new Tour’s designation, World Triathlon is creating a new World
Championship title for the 100km distance.
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