The World Triathlon Championship Abu Dhabi 2021 has been moved to a new date, 5-6 November, for the first time in five years, the local organisers announced. The decision, backed unanimously by the World Triathlon Executive Board, will not only allow more time for the current worldwide travel restrictions to ease, but will be able to serve as a test event for the 2022 Abu Dhabi World Triathlon Championship Finals, also taking place at the end of the season.
The organisers of the 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Abu Dhabi have planned for a Mixed Relay event to take place the same weekend.
The 2021 season will also see some new cities hosting World Triathlon events, with Osaka (Japan), Lisbon (Portugal) and Haeundae (South Korea) joining the top class world cup circuit.
The first look at the full 2021 World Triathlon calendar approved by the Executive Board reveals plenty of elite racing ahead in the coming months, so get your calendars ready and save the dates! The World Triathlon Championship Series and the World Triathlon World Cups are due to restart after 1 May.
World Triathlon Championship Series
The local organisers of the 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Chengdu, together with CTSA and World Triathlon, have also decided to postpone the event to a later date in the season, considering the current travel restrictions in China. With a new date to be announced in the upcoming weeks, the city is ready to step up to host its first World Triathlon Championship Series event over the sprint distance in a revamped and magnificent venue purposely built to host triathlon events.
The World Triathlon Championship Series season is currently scheduled to begin in the classic Olympic distance challenge of Yokohama, Japan on 15 May.
The Championships move to the UK the following month, with Leeds hosting on 5 June, before a return to Montreal on 26-27 June, both cities having been regulars on the World Triathlon calendar since 2016.
Hamburg marks its 20th successive season as the home of top-level triathlon on 10 July, the milestone also providing the last taste of Championship Series action before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games begin.
The World Triathlon Championship Finals Edmonton will then bring the spotlight back onto Canada’s beautiful Alberta province on 17-22 August for five days of events and first-class racing to crown the 2021 World Triathlon Champions.
The season moves on once more for the inaugural World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championships taking place in Bermuda on 15-17 October, before the rearranged World Triathlon Championship Series Abu Dhabi wraps up 2021 on 5-6 November. The 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Abu Dhabi will have a Mixed Relay event to take place the same weekend.
The dates for the World Triathlon Championships Series Chengdu will be confirmed as soon as possible.
World Triathlon World Cups
World Triathlon Cup Miyazaki, due to take place on 20 March, unfortunately had to be canceled by the Japanese Triathlon Union and the local organizing committee, due to the current travel restrictions in the region.
With this on mind, the World Triathlon Cup season is due to open in Osaka, Japan on 8-9 May, a city that welcomes the circuit for the first time.
Also a newcomer in the world cup circuit will be Lisbon, that after hosting successfully European evens, has stepped up and will organise the second stop of the world cups, the first one in Europe, on May 22-23.
The beautiful Arzachena (Italy) will return as host on 29-30 May. From there, racing moves on to Huatulco (Mexico, 12-13 June), Haeundae (South Korea, 4 July), Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, 11-12 September), Weihai (China, 25-26 September), Miyazaki (Japan, 23-24 October) and Tongyeong (South Korea, 30-31 October).
The World Triathlon season as a whole will in fact get under way at the Winter Cup in Asiago on 19 February, followed by the Winter Championships in Andorra on 19-21 March.
The World Triathlon Para Championships Milan will crown the best in the world on 8 May in Italy, with the year’s Para Championship Series action taking place in Yokohama, Leeds and Montreal on the same weekends as the WTCS action. Two Para Cups will be held ahead of the Tokyo Paralympic Games, in Besancon, France (12-13 May), A Coruna, Spain (20 June), followed by Alanya, Turkey (1 October) and Miyazaki, Japan (23-24 October), before closing out in Alhandra, Portugal (30-31 October).
September will see the 2021 World Triathlon Multisport Championships Almere-Amsterdam run from 3-12 of the month, promising a feast of world championship action at all levels in Aquathlon, Aquabike, Cross Triathlon, Duathlon and Long Distance Triathlon.
As with those races that were able to take place in the second half of 2020, new World Triathlon protocols will be put in place and close collaboration with LOCs is already underway to ensure the safest possible conditions for the athletes, teams and all involved in holding the events. All races are subject to change given the continued uncertainty around the Covid-19 pandemic.
Word Triathlon Championship Series
15 May: Yokohama, Japan
6 June: Leeds, UK
24 June: Montreal, Canada
10 July: Hamburg, Germany
17-22 Aug: Edmonton, Canada (Word Triathlon Championship Final)
5-6 Nov: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China
World Triathlon Sprint & Relay Championships
15-17 Oct: Bermuda
World Triathlon Cups
8-9 May: Osaka, Japan
22-23 May: Lisbon, Portugal
29-30 May: Arzachena, Italy
12-13 June: Huatulco, Mexico
2-4 July: Haeundae, South Korea
11-12 Sept: Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
25-26 Sept: Weihai, China
23-24 Oct: Miyazaki, Japan
30-31 Oct: Tongyeong, South Korea
World Triathlon Para Championships
8 May: Milan, Italy
World Triathlon Para Series
16 May: Yokohama, Japan
6 June: Leeds, UK
24 June: Montreal, Canada
World Triathlon Para Cup
12-13 June: Besancon, France
20 June: A Coruna, Spain
1 Oct: Alanya, Turkey
23-24 Oct: Miyazaki, Japan
30-31 Oct: Alhandra, Portugal
World Triathlon Multisport Championships
3-12 Sept: Almere-Amsterdam, Netherlands
World Triathlon Winter Championships
19-21 March: Andorra
World Triathlon Winter Cup
19 Feb: Asiago, Italy
World Triathlon Powerman Long Distance Duathlon Championships
30 May: Zofingen, Switzerland
