With the goal set on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the World Triathlon’s development partnership with high-performance sports equipment giant ASICS enters its 5th season, and we are ready to welcome applications for the new members of the team.

The ASICS World Triathlon Team project provides essential support, resources and expertise to athletes from emerging/developing National Federations (NF Group* 2, 3B, 3A) with the potential to compete at the World Triathlon Cup level and qualify for the Paris Olympic Games. World Triathlon Development is also looking after young talents facilitating their athlete career from junior to elite and aiming at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and beyond. The project also aiming to increase the number of coaches from emerging/developing National Federations (NF Group* 2, 3B, 3A) gaining experience in the preparation and support of athletes competing at a World Cup level.

This elite athlete development program aiming to support Olympic Qualification has been running since 2006, and on the previous editions it has given support to some legends of our sport like Olympic Champion from Bernuda Flora Duffy or London Olympics silver medallist Lisa Norden (SWE). Over these years thirty athletes have been members of the ASICS World Triathlon Team (formerly Team ITU) qualified for one or more Olympic Games. In Tokyo 2020, the ASICS Team was compromised by Kaidi Kivioja (EST), Mehdi Essadiq (MAR), Romina Biagioli (ARG), Diego Moya (CHI), Basmla Elsalamoney (EGY) and Mohamad Maso (SYR).

Applications for athletes with the potential to qualify and compete at Paris 2024 Olympics that have already proven themselves at a World Triathlon Elite, U23, Junior World Championship, World Cup or Continental Championships/Cup level will be favoured.

This year, three World Cup events have been named as the ASICS World Triathlon Team events in 2022.The selected World Cups will be Pontevedra (Spain), on 24 July; Valencia (Spain), on 3 September and Vina del Mar (Chile) on 13 November. Deadline to submit applications for participating on these races is 5 June (Pontevedra), 24 July (Valencia) and 2 October (Vina del Mar).

In order to apply, athletes must have been born in 1994 or later, and must be in the top 250 of the World Triathlon Ranking and have at least two results finishing in the first 66% from Continental Cup events in the past 12 months. All applications have to be submitted by the National Federation, and a National Federation may nominate no more than two male and two female athletes. For 2022 we invite coach applications as well for Valencia and Vina del Mar with one place available for each project.

In Valencia, we are planning to spend some extra days with the athletes after the event for educational purposes.

As this is the first year after the Tokyo Olympics, the season 2022 will be more focused on pre-selection and monitoring, observing the athletes’ performance, and how athletes return to racing all around the world after two COVID-years

Based on the project principles, previous achievements, and the selection criteria, some athletes from the “Tokyo 2020 Team” have been taken to the “Paris 2024 Team” although all current and future members will be continuously observed and monitored in the upcoming months.

All athletes selected will be provided with a travel stipend, accommodation, food and the support of world-class coaching, physio and bike mechanics.

(*Note: for NF Groups please visit National Federation Survey  and NF Survey Report 2019.)