The International Triathlon Union (ITU) is pleased to announce the ITU World Triathlon Series calendar for the 2019 season. With seven regular WTS races ahead of the Grand Final in Lausanne, the season will be packed with triathlon action, with the World Triathlon Mixed Relays Series and the World Paratriahlon Series increasing the number of events in 2019.
It is always exciting to bring new host cities on board and to work with them to deliver new challenges and collectively raise the bar of what it takes to produce our top-tier WTS events. Bermuda did exactly that this year with a stunning course, and this year it will be the turn of Lausanne to showcase itself to the world of triathlon.
“Triathlon is constantly evolving and growing, and it is important that we are able to bring our biggest events to new audiences”, said ITU President and IOC member, Marisol Casado. “With each new venue and new territory, everybody, from athletes and coaches to LOCs and officials, learns and adapts, and that is healthy for our sport. At the same time, we are of course delighted to return to iconic venues such as Leeds and Hamburg. We are looking forward to delivering yet another thrilling year for the WTS during this Olympic qualifying cycle.”
For its 11th season, the World Triathlon Series will feature eight stops, getting underway once more in Abu Dhabi. From there, the action will move to the MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda at the end of April, where the athletes will do battle with the infamous Corkscrew Hill for the second time.
The next stop will be Japan for one of the most established races on the circuit, Yokohama, before the focus shifts to Europe and the fourth edition of the AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds. Then we head to the eagerly anticipated Canadian event in the beautiful city of Montreal. The diamond of the calendar is Hamburg, where hundreds of thousands of spectators line the streets every year. The final stop before the Grand Final is the iconic event in the city of Edmonton in Hawrelak park.
The 2019 Grand Final will then take place in the stunning Swiss city of Lausanne. Thousands of amateur triathletes from around the world will gather to compete in a city rich in sporting culture, home to the Olympic movement making it an ideal location for the year’s elite’s finale, along with the Junior, U23, and Paratriathlon World Championship events.
In 2018 ITU launched the Word Triathlon Mixed Relay Series which set teams competing and earning points to qualify for the debut of this exciting discipline in the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. After the great success and warm welcoming by athletes, teams, and spectators, the path continues in 2019 with the stops of the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series to be announced at a later stage.
We are extremely excited to be able to announce the 2019 ITU World Triathlon Series cities and dates,” said Kris Gemmell, General Manager of ITU World Triathlon Series. “We are already well underway with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifying cycle, and having these excellent venues and dates confirmed so far in advance gives each National Federation the earliest opportunity to start their planning and begin preparations for a crucial 2019. The WTS continues to be our flagship series within ITU’s busy events calendar, and as we look forward to welcoming strong new host cities and more strong bids on the horizon, it is clear that the series is in a very good place right now.”
2019 ITU World Triathlon Series Calendar
World Triathlon Abu Dhabi March 8-9
MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda April 27/28
World Triathlon Yokohama May 18-19
AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds June 8/9
World Triathlon Montreal June 29
Hamburg Wasser World Triathlon July 6-7
World Triathlon Edmonton July 20/21
ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Lausanne August 29 – September 1