The ETU would like to urge all athletes who are competing in Penza to apply for their visas immediately.

The Russian city will host both a European Cup and Junior European Cup event over the weekend of 2nd and 3rd July 2011.

The Russian Triathlon Federation have made fantastic strides in recent years in developing the sport of Triathlon and have produced a number of talented athletes. Yulian Malyshev, 2010 ETU Ranking Champion, and Pavel Andreev, 2011 World and European Winter Triathlon Champion, are just a couple of examples of the Russian athletes who have come to prominence over the last few years.

Penza will now play host to a Triathlon event in Russia for the first time and the ETU are delighted to back this competition.

As a result there is fantastic media interest in the event and a substantial prize fund. There are, however, slight concerns that many of the athletes wishing to compete in these events will miss out due to them not allowing sufficient time to apply for the relevant visas.

To help with the visa issue, Valery Kalashnov will assist any athletes in the process. His contact details are as follows;

Tel: +7 (495) 637-94-35
Fax: +7 (495) 771-76-29
Mob: +7 (903) 209-57-73

Email: rustriathlon@gmail.com

To confirm, the European Cup is a 1.5km/40km/10km distance. The Junior distance is 750m/20km/5km. The course is a purpose built sporting venue which has hosted a number of Russian National Championships in the past.

The bike course does offer some hills and descents that will challenge the riders but there are not too many technical twists and turns.

For more general information on how to obtain a Russian please refer to the following website: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia