ITU is proud to announce that the first-ever Winter Triathlon World Cup will be held in the Chinese resort of Harbin on the 4th of January. Winter triathlon involves a run, mountain bike and cross country ski all on snow. Course distances are set to achieve a winning time of around 80-90 minutes.
Winter triathlon is one of the newest additions to the ITU calendar, and it was in Italy, back in 1997, where the first-ever World Championship of the discipline was held. In 2020, the Italian ski resort of Asiago will host the World Championships in February, while Romania will host the European Championships.
The Harbin Winter Triathlon World Cup, organised by the Chinese Federation, will offer travel subsidy for 2 athletes and 1 coach from 10 countries around the world. ITU will be in contact with the potential countries to receive such grant.
ITU is also proud to announce that another Spanish city, A Coruna, will play host in 2020 of a ITU Paratriathlon World Cup, to be held in June 6 and 7. The race will be included in the Paralympic Qualification period, offering great opportunities to paratriathletes that are vying to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Another new addition to the Paratriathlon World Cup calendar in 2020 is Bermuda, that will host the para race in the same weekend of the WTS, on April 19th. Hosting a paratriathlon race in Bermuda is key on the country’s strategy to make the island more accessible.