Posted: September 20, 2007

Triathlon: Beijing to host 2011 BG Triathlon World Championships

CANADA, Vancouver - The International Triathlon Union announced today that Beijing, China will host the 2011 BG Triathlon World Championships following a decision taken by the governing body’s Executive Committee. The announcement was made after the venue’s successful hosting of the latest round of the 2007 BG Triathlon World Cup, the test-event for next year’s Olympic Games. At the closing banquet held on the picturesque Great Wall, ITU President Les McDonald signed the agreement with the city’s vice-mayor in front of on-looking athletes, team officials and coaches. “To be able to offer the thousands of elite and age group athletes that compete in the world championships the opportunity to race on the same course as the Olympics is a great thrill for us,” said ITU’s Director of World Cups and World Championships, Sheila O’Kelly. “This is part of the planned sport legacy to come out of the Beijing Olympics.” The Beijing bid was presented to ITU members at the recent 2007 congress in Hamburg, Germany. The initial bid was reviewed and after a congruent site visit during the recent World Cup the event was awarded to the Olympic city. “We had no doubt the organising committee would do a superb job with the Elite races,” stated O’Kelly. “We just wanted to make sure the same calibre of organisation would be offered to the thousands of age groupers in attendance.” The World Championships will be held in the Changping district of the city next to the historic Ming Tombs and Great Wall. The proposed course is a spectacle of new and old China. Athletes will swim in the Changping reservoir next to one of many ancient pagoda in the region; the bike course will take athletes through the surrounding hills and past the Ming Tombs; finally athletes will run through the local urban setting. The ITU World Championships feature a number of categories in addition to those participated in by the professional athletes, with several thousand age group and AWAD (Athlete with a Disability) competitors also to be accommodated during the event. The most recent edition of the World Championships was held earlier this month in Hamburg, Germany with a record number of participants, spectators and international media interest. About International Triathlon Union The International Triathlon Union was founded in 1989 in Avignon, France and now has over 100 affiliated national federations around the world. Triathlon was awarded Olympic status in 1994 and the ITU is the youngest International Federation in the Olympics. For further information, visit www.triathlon.org. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest