Professional Triathletes Organisation announces eight-stop 2024 calendar in T100 Triathlon World Tour relaunch
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ByEurosport
Published 30/01/2024 at 18:26 GMT
The Professional Triathletes Organisation has announced a blockbuster relaunch of its PTO Tour with top 40 highest-ranked athletes set to compete in an expanded 2024 calendar that will be known as the T100 Triathlon World Tour. The rebranded series will now feature eight races and visit three continents this year, with the Grand Final taking place at the end of November.
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The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) announced today a significant relaunch of its PTO Tour, with 40 of the world’s highest ranked athletes competing in an expanded 2024 calendar that will feature eight races and be known as the T100 Triathlon World Tour.
The evolution of the PTO Tour to the T100 Triathlon World Tour follows the PTO’s partnership agreement with World Triathlon in August 2023, which designated it as ‘the official World Championship tour of long distance triathlon’.
The rebranded series will visit three continents, starting in Miami on 9 March before finishing with a Grand Final at a soon-to-be announced Middle East location at the end of November, where the women’s and men’s World Champion will be crowned. The full T100 Triathlon World Tour calendar for 2024 includes:
- 9 March - Miami T100
- 12-14 April – Singapore T100
- 8-9 June - California T100
- 27-28 July - London T100
- 28-29 Sept - Ibiza T100
- 19-20 Oct - Lake Las Vegas T100
- 16-17 Nov - Dubai T100
- 29-30 Nov - Grand Final - location to be announced soon
As well as revealing the venues and dates, the PTO also confirmed a stellar, international line up of 40 leading triathletes, who are contracted to compete in a minimum of five races as well as the Grand Final (6 in total). Thirty-two of the athletes qualified as a result of their PTO World Ranking at two points during 2023, with eight additional spots granted to women and men who’s past results and future potential will bring excitement to the series.
The women’s line up includes all the top PTO World Ranked athletes, including: current #1 Anne Haug (GER), #2 Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), #3 Taylor Knibb (USA), #4 Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), #5 Laura Philipp (GER), #6 Kat Matthews (GBR), #7 Paula Findlay (CAN), #8 Daniela Ryf (SUI), #9 Imogen Simmonds (SUI), #10 Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR), #11 Chelsea Sodaro (USA), #12 Marjolaine Pierré (FRA), #13 Skye Moench (USA), #14 Tamara Jewett (CAN), #15 India Lee (GBR), #17 Amelia Watkinson (NZL) #22 Holly Lawrence (GBR), #25 Lucy Byram (GBR), Taylor Spivey (USA) and Flora Duffy (BER) .
The men’s also features the very best athletes, including current #2 Magnus Ditlev (DEN), #3 Jason West (USA), #5 Pieter Heemeryck (BEL), #6 Mathis Margirier (FRA), #7 Rudy Von Berg (USA), #8 Leon Chevalier (FRA), #9 Sam Long (USA), #11 Daniel Baekkegard (DEN), #12 Bradley Weiss (RSA), #13 Sam Laidlow (FRA), #14 Frederic Funk (GER), #15 Clement Mignon (FRA), #16 Aaron Royle (AUS), #17 David McNamee (GBR), #23 Ben Kanute (USA), #26 Rico Bogen (GER), #31 Alistair Brownlee (GBR), #174 Max Neumann (AUS), #205 Marten Van Riel (BEL) and #267 Javier Gomez (ESP).
Speaking on today’s announcement, PTO Executive Chairman, Chris Kermode, said: “We’ve been clear that we wanted to create a tour that represents the pinnacle of the sport and have talked about the importance of a season-long schedule of high quality racing that sees the world’s best endurance athletes going head-to-head on a consistent basis in different, iconic locations. So we are hugely excited to be able to announce the 2024 calendar, that it will now be known as the T100 Triathlon World Tour and a world class group of athletes.”
“This is a significant step forward for the PTO and its ambition to elevate professional triathlon on a global sporting stage and is the culmination of what we’ve been working hard to achieve over the last 12 months. But, as I’ve said to the athletes and the PTO team over the last few weeks, in triathlon terms the PTO is only just emerging from the water and there is still an awfully long way to go to the finish line. But to have the calibre of these athletes announced today sign up and commit to the new T100 Triathlon World Tour is a huge endorsement of what we’re building.”
Responding on behalf of World Triathlon, its President Marisol Casado said: When we announced our partnership with PTO last summer, the goal that we had in mind was exactly this: to be able to deliver a brand new series of events that have their own ecosystem and that will elevate our sport to new heights. By uniting our strengths, passion and dedication, we aim to bring positive change and innovation to the triathlon community.”
“Together, we aspire to forge a more inclusive, fair, competitive and sustainable landscape for athletes, fans and stakeholders. The T100 Triathlon World Tour exemplifies the tremendous potential that arises when organisations align their visions, fostering a thriving environment for the sport we all hold dear. As we embark on this journey hand in hand, we are steadfast in our belief that together, we can guide triathlon towards a brighter, more exhilarating future.”
On the rebranding of the PTO Tour to T100 Triathlon World Tour, PTO CEO Sam Renouf explained: This was the right moment for us to introduce a more consumer facing brand. As we’ve developed the races and the broadcast product over the past three years, we’ve continued to listen to feedback from all parties, including our broadcast partners, the media, fans and, of course, our athletes who co-own the organisation. It was clear that we needed to be more explicit about this being a triathlon world tour as well as hero our exciting new 100km distance, which continues to mark us out and deliver compelling racing. With races being known as the Singapore T100 or Ibiza T100, we believe it will help establish T100 as both a powerful brand as well as a unique format - which will only help us on our mission to take the sport more mainstream. This will create more opportunities to attract new host cities, commercial sponsors and engage amateurs and Age Groupers who we will be hosting at each of our stops this year.”
“The look and feel of the new brand tells a very vibrant, relevant and visual story, thanks to the design having been inspired by the heart rate of an athlete during a triathlon.”
Alongside the introduction of the new T100 brand and the athletes, the PTO confirmed the following:
- 20 female and male athletes are contracted across the season (40 in total)
- Contracted athletes will race a minimum of 5 races plus the Grand Final. Although racing obligations for athletes who’ve qualified and will compete in the Olympics have been reduced
- A discretionary number of Wildcards at each event based on remaining spots
- Athletes to score 35 point for first place to 1 pt for 20th place at each race
- The Grand Final has increased points to up the ante (55 pts down to 4 pts)
- $250,000 USD prize fund at each T100, totalling $2,000,000 across the eight races (1st place - $25,000k; 2nd - $16,000; 3rd - $12,000 at each race)
- The series winners following the Grand Final will be crowned T100 Triathlon World Champion and will win $210,000 USD from an additional total prize pool of $2,000,000
- Between the athlete contracts, T100 race prize fund and T100 Triathlon World Tour pool, the series provides more than $7,000,000 in athlete compensation, and is distributed in a way that not only rewards the winners, but also recognises the significant achievement of racing at this level
Full details available on the T100 Triathlon World Tour website.
“The PTO’s events have improved each time, but we need more of them to take the sport mainstream,” continued Renouf. “It has lacked a season-long narrative with a World Champion at the end. Media, fans and our athletes themselves have told us that. If we want to be more like the ATP or Formula One, where it’s Max Verstappen versus Lewis Hamilton every time they line up, there’s a need for a contracted relationship with the athletes so we know if we tune in, then we are seeing the ‘best of the best’ every time. This is a key tenet of professional sports - and a package we must deliver.”
Giving their reaction to the new calendar and T100 World Triathlon Tour at a special launch event at London’s City Hall, overlooking Royal Victoria Dock where the London T100 swim will take place, the reigning Ironman World Champion and PTO World #4 Lucy Charles-Barclay said:
“For me, the T100 Triathlon World Tour is where our sport is heading. Having done four of the PTO 100km races now, I love the atmosphere, rivalry and challenge they bring. I have tried the Olympic distance and loved the fast pace excitement of flat out racing, and on the other side of the spectrum I have raced and performed really well at the Ironman distance which is all about pacing and endurance. But actually putting something in the middle and bringing in athletes from the long course and from the Olympic distance, it’s just a melting pot of talent and the level of racing is higher than we’ve ever seen in the sport. I believe in what the PTO is doing and how exciting and big it could become and that’s what I want to be a part of. So my personal goal this year is the T100 tour. I’ve never focused on the 100km distance entirely before and I just want to see how far I can go over the format.”
Joining Lucy at the launch was two-time Olympic and four-time Triathlon World Champion Alistair Brownlee, who has been one of the recipients of the discretionary Hotshot contracts. He echoed Lucy’s excitement and conviction by saying:
“I want to see more people watching top level long distance triathlon, being inspired by seeing the top athletes racing. It’s crucial that the PTO succeeds and I’m convinced that the T100 Triathlon World Tour’s success will be triathlon’s success.”
“It’s tough to create something new but ultimately it will benefit every triathlete, so having the PTO work closely with World Triathlon to put on these great races in great locations that allow athletes to flourish and race to the best of their ability - and broadcasting it around the world in the right manner - has got to be the way to go to bring in new fans and people who want to engage in the sport in a new way.”
Amateurs To Also Take T100 Startline
It won’t just be professional athletes who will get the opportunity to race on the T100 Triathlon World Tour, with the PTO also announcing mass participation races for amateurs at each event, including the newly established 100km distance at six of the eight stages, including: Singapore, London, Ibiza, Lake Las Vegas, Dubai and at the Grand Final. These Age Grouper races will give amateurs the chance to compete on the same spectacular courses as the pros as well as watch the best in the world up close and personal.
As a result of its partnership with World Triathlon, certain stages of the Tour will also feature Age Group championship designations, with the chance to represent your country under the team of the athlete’s respective National Federation. Selection for these amateur championship events will follow the standard World Triathlon process and be outlined on the PTO and World Triathlon websites.
“Next level racing and a ‘major event atmosphere’ were two of the things the 6,000 amateur athletes who took part in Singapore last year called out,” said Renouf. “So, alongside the professional races we’ll be running Age Grouper opportunities at most of the events. Registration is open on the PTO website and we look forward to welcoming all those who want to get involved.”
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