World Triathlon facts for kids
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| Sport | Triathlon |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 |
| Location | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| President | Marisol Casado |
| CEO | Antonio Arimany |
| Official website | |
World Triathlon is the main group that sets the rules for sports like triathlon. It used to be called the International Triathlon Union (ITU). Triathlon is a multi-sport race that combines swimming, cycling, and running.
World Triathlon also looks after other similar sports. These include duathlon (running, cycling, running) and aquathlon (running, swimming, running).
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sees World Triathlon as the official group for triathlon. This means World Triathlon helps organize triathlon events at the Olympic Games.
Besides making rules, World Triathlon also organizes big international races. These include the World Triathlon Championship Series and the ITU Triathlon World Cup. They also have races for longer distances.
World Triathlon does not work with other big triathlon groups like Ironman Triathlon or XTERRA Triathlon.
The main office for World Triathlon is in Lausanne, Switzerland.
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How World Triathlon Started
Triathlon became very popular in 1974 in San Diego. This quick growth caught the eye of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In 1988, the IOC started talking about adding triathlon to the Olympic Games.
The IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch, held a meeting in Sweden. He wanted triathlon to be an Olympic sport soon. At this meeting, Les McDonald from Canada was chosen to lead a committee for triathlon.
World Triathlon was officially started on April 1, 1989. It was first called the International Triathlon Union (ITU). This happened at the first ITU Congress in Avignon, France. Thirty countries sent their sports groups to this meeting.
They also got ready for the first World Championships. This event took place in Avignon in August 1989. At this meeting, they set the "Olympic distance" for triathlon. It was a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike ride, and a 10-kilometer run. These distances were chosen because they were already used in the Olympics for each sport alone.
More than 800 athletes from 40 countries raced in the first World Championships. Les McDonald was elected as the first president of ITU in 1989.
The ITU started its World Cup series in 1991. They held 11 races in eight countries. In 1994, the IOC officially added triathlon to the Olympic Games. Triathlon first appeared at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.
World Triathlon's main office was in Vancouver, Canada, until 2014. On January 1, 2014, it moved to Lausanne, Switzerland. This city is home to the IOC and many other international sports groups.
Marisol Casado from Spain became World Triathlon's second president in November 2008. She was re-elected in 2012 and again in 2016.
In 2009, the International Triathlon Federation changed its top races. The World Championship became the World Triathlon Series. This was a series of eight races in different countries. The World Cup became a second-tier series.
In June 2017, the IOC added a third triathlon event to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. This was the mixed team relay. This event has teams with both male and female athletes. This helps promote equality in sports.
In September 2017, the founding president, Les McDonald, passed away at age 84. He was honored for his work in triathlon.
In October 2020, the ITU officially changed its name to World Triathlon.
How World Triathlon is Organized
World Triathlon is divided into five large areas, called continental regions. These regions help manage triathlon in different parts of the world.
There are 172 national groups (called federations) that belong to World Triathlon. Each country has its own group that manages triathlon there. Each region also holds its own championships and cup series.
- Asia Triathlon looks after 35 national groups.
- Africa Triathlon looks after 37 national groups.
- Europe Triathlon looks after 46 national groups.
- Americas Triathlon looks after 40 national groups.
- Oceania Triathlon looks after 14 national groups.
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europe Triathlon supported the IOC's decision. This decision was to stop Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in European events. It also meant no international events would be held in Russia or Belarus.
Growing the Sport
World Triathlon works to help the sport grow, especially in new areas. One way they do this is by giving money to groups. For example, they gave money to the African Triathlon Union. This money helps organize events and train athletes, coaches, and officials.
They also offer scholarships to young athletes. These scholarships help talented athletes who need more support. The goal is for these athletes to compete for their country at the Olympic Games.
World Triathlon also sets standards for coaching and officials. This helps make sure that important races are fair and well-run.
How Athletes are Ranked
World Triathlon keeps track of how athletes perform. They have World Rankings for men and women in different types of races. These include short and long-distance triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon, and winter triathlon. They also rank national teams for the mixed relay.
The ranking system uses a rolling calendar. It looks at an athlete's best results over the past two years. The athlete who finishes first in a race gets the most points. Other athletes get slightly fewer points based on their finish.
Major Championships
In its first year, World Triathlon only held the World Triathlon Championship. The next year, they also started the Duathlon World Championship. In 1991, the ITU began the Triathlon World Cup series.
The distances for the World Championship and World Cup races were set at:
- 1,500 meters swimming
- 40 kilometers cycling
- 10 kilometers running
These distances are now known as the "standard distance" in triathlon.
In 1994, the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships began. This was similar to Ironman Triathlon events but run by the sport's main group. In 1997, the Long Distance Duathlon World Championships started. Also in 1997, the first Winter Triathlon World Championships were held.
The Aquathlon World Championships started in 1998. In 2009, the Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships began for elite teams. The newest event is the Cross Triathlon World Championships. This was created to have a world championship for off-road triathlon, similar to XTERRA Triathlon.
The main world championship events organized by World Triathlon include:
- In triathlon:
- World Triathlon Championship Series
- World Triathlon Long Distance Championships
- World Triathlon Sprint Distance Championships
- World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships
- World Triathlon Cup
- In duathlon:
- World Triathlon Duathlon Championships
- World Triathlon Long Distance Duathlon Championships
- In aquathlon:
- World Triathlon Aquathlon Championships
- In winter triathlon:
- World Triathlon Winter Championships
- In cross triathlon:
- World Triathlon Cross Championships
See also
In Spanish: Uni%C3%B3n Internacional de Triatl%C3%B3n para ni%C3%B1os
