Wrapped around the London 2012 Olympic Games, the world’s top triathletes will battle for the ITU World Championship titles in an 8-city global series staged on four continents, including a stop in triathlon’s birthplace – San Diego, California, USA.
2012 ITU Triathlon World Championship Series
April 14-15: Sydney, Australia
May 12-13: San Diego, USA
May 26-27: Madrid, Spain (final event in Olympic qualifying)
June 23-24: Kitzbühel, Austria
July 21-22: Hamburg, Germany
August 25-26: Lausanne, Switzerland (includes ITU Team Triathlon World Championships)
September (exact weekend TBC): Yokohama, Japan
Grand Final – October 20-22: Auckland, New Zealand
2012 ITU Triathlon World Cup Series
March 24-25: Mooloolaba, Australia
April 22: Ishigaki, Japan
May 6-7: Huatulco, Mexico
June 17: Banyoles, Spain
July 1: Guatape, Colombia
July 8: Edmonton, Canada
July 15: Tiszaujvaros, Hungary
September 22: Tongyeong, South Korea
October 7: Cancun, Mexico
2012 ITU Triathlon World Championship Serie
All elite women’s and men’s races will be broadcast live to an international audience and streamed online live. In 2011, the series was broadcast in more than 160 countries.
“The ITU World Championship Series is the pinnacle of triathlon, which will be exemplified with the 2012 installment of the series and a line-up of eight world class cities,” said Marisol Casado, ITU President and IOC Member. “The sport and this series continues to grow every year and we expect 2012 to be the most spectacular triathlon season ever.”
The first series event of 2012 takes place in Sydney for the third straight year amidst the backdrop of legendary Sydney Opera house, where the triathlon was held in its Olympic Games debut in 2000.
Then the series shifts to Europe for four rounds, starting with Madrid, candidate city for the 2020 Olympic Games. Long been a favourite for many ITU stars, Madrid has hosted World Championship Series events and World Cups since 2003. Raising the stakes in Madrid is that it will be the final opportunity for athletes to collect Olympic qualifying points. Qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games will come full circle as it began in Madrid in June 2010.
Kitzbühel, Austria will host a round of the series for the fourth straight year. The 2012 edition will feature a redesigned course with a more demanding and challenging bike course.
Hamburg will stage the final round before the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Athletes will be able to fine tune their racing edge in a sprint event before the Olympics. Next season will be the first time that two sprint races (half the standard distance) are featured in the World Championship Series.
For the second straight year, the Olympic capital of Lausanne, Switzerland will host the Sprint and Team Triathlon World Championships on the last weekend of August.
In September the series travels to Yokohama, Japan for its only Asian stop for the penultimate round.
The ITU World Champions will then be decided in Auckland, New Zealand at the 2012 Grand Final. It marks the third time New Zealand will host the crown jewel on the ITU calendar. Previously the Triathlon World Championships were in Queenstown in 2003 and Wellington in 1994.
The ITU Triathlon World Championships were first held in Avignon, France in 1989. In 2009, the championships were revamped, expanding the former single-day World Championship race into an exciting multi-city global series, culminating with the Grand Final. Athletes earn points throughout the season and those who win the overall series are crowned the ITU Triathlon World Champions.
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2012 ITU Triathlon World Cup Series
“Next year will mark the 22nd season of the ITU’s flagship series,” said Marisol Casado, ITU President and IOC Member. “The ITU Triathlon World Cup Series has traveled to more than 30 different countries on all five continents since 1991 and it continues to showcase the world’s top triathletes, from the sport’s legends and Olympic medallists to the World Champions of tomorrow.”
The 2012 season again opens in Australia, the 8th straight year Mooloolaba will host a World Cup.
Next up is a staple on the ITU calendar: Ishigaki, Japan, a World Cup that began in 1996 and has been held every since then.
Huatulco, Mexico, will host a World Cup for the 5th straight year. But instead of October, the event moves up to May, making it the final World Cup inside the Olympic qualification period.
The only brand new stop on the World Cup circuit is Banyoles, Spain. Located approximately 120km northeast of Barcelona, Banyoles hosted a highly successful Premium European Cup in July of this year.
July opens in Colombia as the World Cup tour returns to Guatape, the picturesque resort town just outside Medellin. From Colombia, the circuit travels north to Edmonton, Canada, which is back on the calendar for the 7th time since 2002. Edmonton will be the only North American round of the 2012 World Cup series.
The final World Cup before the London 2012 Olympic Games will be Tiszaujvaros, Hungary, the second-oldest World Cup in ITU history. Next year it will celebrate its 16th birthday.
After the London Olympic Games, the World Cup circuit travels to Tongyeong, South Korea for the 6th time since 2003.
The final World Cup of 2012 will be in Cancun, Mexico, back on the calendar after a 4-year absence. Since 1995 Cancun has hosted nine World Cups and two ITU World Championships. Cancun will be the final ITU event before the 2012 World Champions are crowned in Auckland, New Zealand on October 20-22.