ITU is pleased to announce it has renewed the contract with the NTT Group to become a global partner of both ITU and the ITU World Triathlon Series from 2018 until 2020. NTT, who joined the ITU family as a global partner in 2016, will continue to serve as ITU’s exclusive communications and systems integration partner. As part of their strategy leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, NTT also will acquire rights at various triathlon events in Japan, Asia and worldwide.

“It has been a real pleasure working with a company like NTT for the last few years, and I’m convinced that keeping this relationship moving forward will be excellent for both organisations,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado.

“NTT has a proven history of delivering value to clients to the highest standards, which is also one of our main goals at ITU. This great cooperation will help us in our mission to make triathlon accessible to everyone by providing state of the art technological services to athletes, fans and spectators alike. And I want to extend our gratitude to the Japanese Triathlon Union, whose support has been vital for this lasting agreement in the pursuit of growing the sport not only in Japan but globally”, she said.

Brokered jointly by ITU and its Japanese National Federation, the Japan Triathlon Union (JTU), the deal extends the partnership so that NTT Group will be the global partner on all ITU’s World Triathlon Series, which this year comprises eight events.

Also, NTT Group will showcase its products and services to a global audience of sport fans thanks to the partnership with the top-tier series of races for ITU, the World Triathlon Series.

NTT will be the exclusive communications and systems integration partner at all ITU World Triathlon Series races in 2018, and the NTT Group will look to develop the partnership towards 2020 and beyond in an effort to improve the athlete and fan experiences at ITU events worldwide.

In 2015, the NTT Group were appointed as the first Gold Partner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games to serve as the official telecommunications services partner of the organising committee.

Triathlon is one of the fastest growing Olympic sports worldwide. The ITU World Triathlon Series in 2018 will consist of eight events across the world, attracting over 40,000 participants – among them the top elite triathletes of the world, and most of the Olympic contenders – and some 1.5m spectators worldwide. This year, the Series will start once more in Abu Dhabi on March 2, and will showcase events in Bermuda, Yokohama (Japan), Leeds (UK), Hamburg (Germany), Edmonton (Canada), Montreal (Canada) and the Grand Final in Gold Coast (Australia). 
This year will also mark the start of the brand new ITU World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series, with events in Nottingham (UK) and Edmonton (Canada), as well as the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships held in Hamburg (Germany).

This event, which has been included in the Olympic programme for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, will bring together teams of two men and two women, with each athlete completing a ‘super-sprint’ triathlon of swimming, cycling and running, before tagging off to their next team mate. The new and thrilling format, with its non-stop action and fast pace, will help capture the imaginations of competitors and spectators alike ahead of its Olympic debut in two years.