Nearing the halfway mark of the World Cup calendar, the ITU is pleased to announce it has added a new city to the 2014 schedule. Serving as the ninth of 10 stops, Cartagena, Colombia will host a World Cup race for the first time ever from October 11-12, 2014.

“The development of triathlon in South America is very important,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado. “It’s critical we hold World Cup races in the Americas to ensure its elite athletes have high-level competitions in which to develop, so we are very happy to add Cartagena to the lineup.”

A seasoned host of PATCO races, Cartagena will also this year welcome the 2014 PATCO Triathlon Pan American Cup and Central American & Caribbean Championships.

Cartagena joins the Chinese cities of Chengdu and Jiayuguan, as well as Alanya, Turkey, as new organizers of ITU World Cup races. Chengdu made its successful debut on the calendar last month with state-of-the-art training facilities designed specifically to become a hub for the development of triathlon.

Jiayuguan will next month make its international debut, while the Alanya race will be held in September following long-time host Tiszaujvaros.