The 2012 Winter Triathlon season begins in earnest this weekend in Lygna, Norway.
The fast growing version of Triathlon - which sees the swim discipline replaced by skiing and begins with a run before a mountain bike leg and then the skiing - has long been championed by the ETU and this year's calendar promises to be bigger and better.
Beginning in Norway this weekend - there are once again six races to the winter season, with 5 European Cups and a European Championships.
Full Details of the Winter Season are below and individual race information can be found by following the links to our website.
| Date | Venue | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 15 January 2012 | Lygna (NOR) | Winter Triathlon European Cup |
| 29 January 2012 | Schwanden (SUI) | Winter Triathlon European Cup |
| 11 February 2012 | Lahte (EST) | Winter Triathlon European Cup |
| 25/26 February 2012 | Oberstaufen (GER) | Winter Triathlon European Cup |
| 3/4 March 2012 | Valsesia (ITA) | ETU Winter Triathlon European Championships |
| 10/11 March 2012 | Mals (ITA) | Winter Triathlon European Cup |
| 24/25 March 2012 | Jamijarvi (FIN) | ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships |
ETU President Philip Schädler said: 'I hope as many athletes as possible take advantage of the opportunity to compete in the Winter Triathlon Series.
'Most of the venues have been part of the winter series for many years and are well established courses that are familiar to the athletes.
'I thank all of the LOC's that are part of the Winter Triathlon Series. Although we waited a long time for the snow it seems that we will have enough to have great events on the snow this year'.
President Schädler reiterated his support of the Winter Triathlon series and called on all National Federations to do as much as they can to assist their athletes in competition with the long term goal of having Winter Triathlon has an event in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
He said: 'Winter Triathlon is a fantastic format of triathlon and just as exciting to watch. It needs additional investment and resources to help develop the sport.
'In general, there is too little investment into the sport at the moment. We certainly need more commitment to grow the number of competitions and athletes involved in Winter Triathlon for it to become a serious candidate for inclusion in the Winter Olympics of 2018.'